[CPEO-MEF] Defense environmental & energy spending in the stimulus bill

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

I've quickly reviewed the official summary of the Conference Language 
for the Stimulus Bill. It contains the following Defense Energy and 
Environmental Funding:

$4.24 billion for Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization 
at the Department of Defense. Of that, $400 million is set aside for the 
Defense Health Program and $153.5 million for Army barracks renovation. 
The remainder is for energy efficiency, and repair and modernization. 
The Secretary of Defense is directed to submit a written report to the 
Congress within 60 days with a "project listing of how these funds will 
be obligated." This sounds good, but I'm concerned that the Obama/Gates 
Pentagon is acting too slowly to fill or replace Defense Environmental 
appointees. A program of this magnitude needs accountable leadership.

The conferees also provided $75 million to each of the armed services, 
plus $75 million Defense-wide for demonstration and research on 
"improvements in energy generation and efficiency, transmission, 
regulation, storage, and for use on military installations and within 
operational forces ..." The Secretary of Defense is to provide a plan 
for this activity within 60 days as well.

The Conference Committee also provided $100 million for the Formerly 
Used Sites Remedial Action Program, which consists primarily of 
Manhattan Project and other early nuclear weapons facilities now being 
addressed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

It appropriated $5,127 million for environmental cleanup at nuclear 
weapons facilities, plus $483 million for cleanup at non-weapons Energy 
Department facilities.

As far as I could tell, there is no environmental money for Base 
Realignment and Closure.

Lenny

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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