US History/US History (Bureau Development Inc.)(1991).ISO/dp/0139/01391.txt

Text File | 1990-12-23 | 46KB | 813 lines

$Unique_ID{USH01391}
$Pretitle{122}
$Title{Report of the Council on Environment Quality
Chapter 4B Defense Lands and Installations:  The Services}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Hill, A. Alan}
$Affiliation{Council on Environmental Quality}
$Subject{environmental
army
hazardous
waste
air
program
navy
process
wastes
installations}
$Volume{}
$Date{1988}
$Log{}
Book:        Report of the Council on Environment Quality
Author:      Hill, A. Alan
Affiliation: Council on Environmental Quality
Date:        1988

Chapter 4B Defense Lands and Installations:  The Services

The Army and Environmental Protection

     The Army exercises stewardship for 12 million acres of public land and
uses 15 million acres of leased land at 1,391 sites in the United States and
overseas.  To promote environmental protection and enhancement, the Secretary
of the Army has adopted seven environmental quality goals, including
demonstrated leadership.  Several recent actions demonstrate that commitment
to leadership.

United States Army Environmental Quality Goals

     Although the primary mission of the United States Army is national
defense, we are committed to protecting our environment and conserving our
natural resource heritage both for ourselves and future generations.  To
assure fulfillment of our commitment, the Army has adopted the following
environmental quality goals:

     - Demonstrate leadership in environmental protection and improvement.

     - Minimize adverse environmental and health impacts while maximizing
readiness and strategic preparedness.

     - Assure that consideration of the environment is an integral part of
Army decision making.

     - Initiate aggressive action to comply with all federal, State, and local
environmental quality laws.

     - Restore lands and waters damaged through our past waste disposal
activities.

     - Support Army programs for the recycle and reuse of materials to
conserve natural resources, prevent pollution and minimize the generation of
wastes.

     - Pursue an active role in addressing environmental quality issues in our
relations with neighboring communities.

     To these environmental quality goals, the United States Army remains
irrevocably committed.

Environmental Compliance Achievement Program

     Although the Army has made significant progress in recent years toward
abating pollution and managing hazardous waste, the increasing number and
complexity of laws and regulations make future compliance a real challenge. To
promote compliance, the Army is developing an Environmental Compliance
Achievement Program (ECAP).  It is designed to improve the Army's
environmental compliance auditing.  With the information obtained from the
audits, projects needed for compliance at Army installations can be identified
and funds requested.  The ECAP involves all organizational levels and
reinforces the Army's commitment to the protection of the environment.

Environmental Quality Awards

     The Army has won the Secretary of Defense Environmental Quality Award
five times since the Award program began in 1973.  For her work at Fort
Huachuca, Arizona, Danita Hardy was selected as the winner of the 1987
Environmental Quality Individual Award.  Ms. Hardy's accomplishments include
completing a thorough environmental analysis for tests proposed to occur in a
sensitive riparian area adjacent to a prehistoric Indian village, relocating
test activities to avoid damaging valuable archaeological and riparian sites,
and developing a computer data base to track hazardous waste.

     The last three Army winners of the Secretary of Defense's Environmental
Quality Installation Awards (Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas in 1986; Fort Lewis,
Washington in 1985; and Fort McClellan, Alabama in 1982) demonstrated
conscientious and excellent compliance with the National Environmental Policy
Act.

Environmental Law Division

     The Secretary of the Army recently approved the creation of an
Environmental Law Division in the Office of the Judge Advocate General.  This
is another indication of the steps being taken to improve environmental
compliance at Army installations.  By establishing this single focus for
environmental law matters on the Army Staff, the Army can be more responsive
to and avoid problems involving legalities.

     As part of its job, the new law division will supervise annual training
of Army installations' environmental attorneys.

Environmental Decision Making

     One of the objectives of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is
to promote environmental values in the federal decisionmaking process.  The
Army issued new regulations implementing NEPA on December 16, 1988 (32 CFR
Part 651).  These regulations include a requirement to make consideration of
the environment an integral part of Army decision making.

The Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

     On December 8, 1987, the President of the United States and the Soviet
Union's General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
reached agreement on the elimination of intermediate range and short range
missile systems.  The Army spent many hours behind the scenes preparing an
environmental assessment (EA) in accordance with NEPA.  The Legislative EA was
sent to the U.S. Senate for its deliberations on whether to ratify the INF
Treaty.

     The Army worked with the State Department, the Environmental Protection
Agency and several states' agencies, as well as the public, during the
environmental impact analysis process.  The EA examined all reasonable
alternative methods and sites allowed by the language of the Treaty.  The
missiles to be destroyed under the INF Treaty that would produce considerable
pollutants are the Army's Pershing missiles.  The EA analyzed the explosive
demolition method, also called "open burn," in which the rocket motor (without
electronics, guidance system, or entry vehicle) would be placed in a pit.
Then, an explosive would rupture the side of the motor and ignite the
propellant which then burns.  In another method, "static firing," a rocket
motor stripped of electronics and other components would be fastened to a
stand.  It is then ignited in the same manner as if it were being launched.
Several sites at which destruction of the missiles might be conducted were
analyzed in the EA.

     The Army-developed Geographic Resource Analysis Support System (GRASS)
was used to gather relevant data and maps and to facilitate siting analyses.
The results were incorporated in the EA.  The Army applied certain safety and
technological criteria which left them with four sites to consider.  The
analyses indicated that all sites would be able to sustain the Pershing
elimination program without significant environmental impacts.  Based on the
environmental, safety, technical and economic analyses, the Army is planning
to destroy the missiles by "static firing" at Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant,
Texas; Pueblo Army Depot Activity, Colorado; and Tooele Army Depot, Utah.

Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS)

     The Army must dispose of certain chemical stockpiles by 1997.  The
prototype demilitarization process, developed on Johnston Atoll, is called
JACADS. Another example of the Army's consideration for the environment during
decision making is the environmental impact analysis for JACADS.

     The purpose of JACADS is to destroy obsolete and unserviceable chemical
agents and munitions stored on Johnston Island, an unincorporated U.S.
territory in the central Pacific about 700 nautical miles from Hawaii.  The
agents and munitions have been stored on Johnston Island since their movement
from Okinawa in 1971.  Their transport to the United States is prohibited by
Public Law 91-672.

     The Army recently completed construction of JACADS facilities, and
following an initial testing period, full scale operations will begin.  JACADS
incinerates nerve agents, mustard (a blistering agent) and various explosive
components.

     The Army prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess both
a demilitarization process and facility location.  The final EIS was published
in November 1983 and a record of decision (ROD) was made by the end of that
year.

     The Army deferred the decision on the disposition of the solid and liquid
wastes generated by JACADS pending further study of options.  The process
wastes include incinerator ash, recyclable and unrecyclable metals, pollution
abatement system solid residue, refractory solids from the liquid incinerator
and scrubber brines.  Studies were begun to determine the feasibility of ocean
disposal of the process wastes.  The Army asked the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to designate a deep ocean disposal site for JACADS wastes.  The
Army proposed a site 13 to 19 nautical miles from Johnston Island and then
prepared a draft EIS for the proposed site, released in October 1985.  Public
comments on the DEIS raised the issues of whether EPA could evaluate the
suitability of an ocean disposal site before the Army supplemented its 1983
JACADS EIS to address ultimate process waste disposal options.  The Army
published the draft supplemental EIS for JACADS process waste disposition in
October 1987 and plans to complete the process in 1989.

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Environmental Documentation

     The Army's use of the NEPA process in decision making is illustrated also
by the environmental analyses being prepared for Army EMP facilities.  EMP
generators are used by the DOD to simulate effects that pulses created by
nuclear explosions may have on electronic and communications equipment.  In
1987, questions about the effects on the environment of EMP devices were
elevated to Army decisionmakers.  Of particular concern are the unknown
factors associated with the effects of EMP testing.

     The Army took a proactive approach to determine the potential
environmental effects of EMP including potential human health and ecological
effects.  The environmental analyses that the Army is pursuing are
comprehensive and include long term monitoring programs as well as review by
agencies or persons with special expertise in EMP and its effects.

Geographic Resources Analysis Support Systems (GRASS)

     The management of environmental resources at military installations
historically has been a problem due to the wide variations and formats for
recorded data.  A given installation may have considerable data in a number of
different technical areas (wildlife, vegetation, soils, geology, topography).
Often, however, it was difficult to assimilate, analyze and present these data
in a manner that facilitates routine decision making.

     To make environmental information more usable by decision makers, the
Army has developed the Geographic Resources Analysis Support Systems (GRASS).
GRASS permits the combination of different sources of data (e.g., field
surveys, maps, satellite and aircraft imagery) and the multi-criteria analysis
of these data.  GRASS is a prominent geographic information system and thus is
being used by a number of other agencies in addition to DOD.

     When GRASS is used at the installation level, its value is very apparent.
GRASS has been used to site new landfills, firing ranges, maneuver areas and
housing areas.  It has been used to find new road and railroad corridors and
develop a management plan for a multipurpose training range. It has been very
useful during preparation of environmental impact assessments, and to
periodically generate maps to help monitor the effects of training and to
identify highly stressed areas.

     At Fort Hood, Texas, GRASS is used extensively by environmental managers
and other planners.  For example, the Training and Range Control Office gives
the Environmental Office the previous month's training intensity data.  This
information is entered into GRASS, which rates each training area's degree of
use and sensitivity.  For the coming month, the Environmental Office
identifies areas nearing their environmental limits and those that are not
stressed.  This information is given to training planners for scheduling
purposes.

     GRASS is improving the Army's environmental assessment process by
facilitating the analysis of alternatives, using the best models and data and
presenting relevant information to decisionmakers.  It is a useful tool to
better comply with regulatory requirements, use resources in a more efficient
and environmentally compatible manner and serve the objectives and goals of
the modern Army.

Integration of Plans and NEPA

     To foster better decision making, the Army is integrating the NEPA
process with other Army planning processes.  The objective is to reduce
delays, avoid duplication of data gathering and ensure that decisionmakers are
fully informed of consequences.

     Planning processes being integrated with the NEPA process include:

     - Installation Master Plans

     - Natural Resource Management Plans

     - Stationing Plans

     - Force Development Plans

     - Material Acquisition Plans

     - Hazardous Waste Management Plans

     - Historic Preservation Plans

     - Remedial Investigations/Feasibility Studies Asbestos Management Plans

Environmental Restoration

     Environmental restoration is at the forefront of the Army's efforts to
clean up the environment.  In 1975, five years before the Superfund law was
passed, the Army was grappling with the realities of chemical pollution.  One
of the reasons the Army faced this challenge before the other military
departments did is because the Army produces the munitions for the other DOD
components as well as its own use.

The Army Installation Restoration Program (IRP)

     First at Rocky Mountain Arsenal in 1974, and next at Weldon Springs
Chemical Plant, the Army's IRP began to identify, assess and remove
contamination on and migrating off Army installations as a result of prior
manufacturing, testing, storage, or disposal.  In 1976, the U.S. Army Toxic
and Hazardous Materials Agency (USATHAMA) started the records searching
process that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now calls the
Preliminary Assessment (PA) under the Superfund law.  The Army expects to have
completed PAs on all of its properties by the end of 1989.

     So far, these PAs have disclosed 2,636 potential sources of contamination
on 84 installations.  Of those installations, Remedial Investigations and
Feasibility Studies (RI/FSs) have been completed on 1,993 potential sources.
Those studies indicate that 270 sources on 35 installations need remedial
action.  By the end of 1988, remediation will have been completed for 114 of
those 270 sources.  The Army's goal is to complete all RI/FSs by the end of
1992 and all cleanup by the end of 1994.

     Funding through the Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) has
steadily increased.  Highest priority is accorded to the Army installations
that are listed on the National Priorities List (NPL).  The Army's IRP funding
in fiscal year 84 was $23 million; in fiscal year 89, it has reached $204.5
million.  For the 6 installations that are proposed for the NPL, and the 15
that are on the NPL, installation restoration work is proceeding steadily.

     For the cleanup of explosives, solvents and acids at Rocky Mountain
Arsenal, which is the subject of a two-party agreement, the Army's costs are
estimated to reach $55 million in fiscal year 89, or 25 percent of the Army
installation restoration program budget.  This amount is exclusive of the
costs that Shell Oil Company, which is the other responsible party at Rocky
Mountain Arsenal, will pay for removal of contamination resulting from their
former pesticide manufacturing operations as a tenant at the installation.
Total costs for cleaning up Rocky Mountain Arsenal may be as high as $700
million.

     Driven by escalating prices for remedial measures at this and other
installations, the Army is investing in research development, and
demonstration projects to find innovative and more cost effective ways to
treat and remove contaminants.  One such advance is a prize winning vacuum
system that extracts toxic gases from abandoned landfills used successfully at
Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant.

     Twin Cities AAP is the first federal facility for which an interagency
agreement was signed under Section 120 of the 1986 Superfund amendments.  The
Army is negotiating several such agreements with EPA and individual States for
the 15 NPL and 6 proposed-for-NPL installations.  Because these agreements are
prerequisites to the final cleanup phase, the Army is focusing on completing
these agreements as soon as possible.

Environmental Restoration of Formerly Used Defense Sites

     The Army is the executive agent for DOD's cleanup of properties where
contamination is traceable to former ownership or use by DOD.  Following
procedures similar to those employed in the installation restoration program,
the Army removes hazardous and toxic materials, including unexploded ordnance,
from former sites.

     By the end of fiscal year 1988, 7,090 formerly-used sites were
identified.  Of these, 616 do not need restoration.  Another 181 have been
restored, and 1,966 others are being studies for appropriate remedial actions.

Hazardous Waste Minimization

     Another important environmental quality goal of the Army is to "support
Army programs for the recycle and reuse of materials to conserve natural
resources, prevent pollution and minimize the generation of wastes."  To
reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated, the Army established a
hazardous waste minimization (HAZMIN) program with specific reduction goals.

     An executive-level hazardous waste minimization workgroup, formed in
1987, develops policies to support waste reduction.  Studies have been
initiated to evaluate waste reduction opportunities in both acquisition and
handling of hazardous materials.  Also, the Army is developing awareness and
hazardous waste reduction awards programs to emphasize the program.  The Army
plans to modify its hazardous waste disposal funding policies in fiscal year
1990 in order to encourage waste reduction at the sites of generation.

     The Army's goal is a 50 percent reduction of hazardous wastes by 1992
(half of 1985 levels).  Source reduction and recycling, toxicity reduction,
routine audits, economic analyses and management support are means to that
end.  The Army's industrial command has hazardous waste reduction goals for
specific production processes, and major waste generators have a goal of
eliminating all untreated hazardous waste by 1992.

     The Army annually generates approximately 102,000 metric tons of
hazardous waste.  Ninety percent of that is produced by the Army's industrial
activities.  Hazardous wastes include solvents, batteries, industrial sludges
and heavy metal wastes.  During fiscal years 1987-1989, the Army will have
spent $15.8 million to implement an array of hazardous waste reduction
projects to include solvent recycling, waste segregation, sludge dewatering
and neutralization.  Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Tennessee, implemented
several HAZMIN projects which reduced hazardous wastes by 90 percent.  Badger
Army Ammunition Plant, Wisconsin, won a 1988 Secretary of Defense Productivity
Excellence Award for saving $1.758 million in disposal costs by selling waste
acid for reclamation.

Redstone Arsenal HAZMIN Program

     Redstone Arsenal is the home of the Army Missile Command.  It also
contains laboratories for performing research on solid and liquid rocket
motors, firing areas for testing missiles and rockets, and a propellant
manufacturing plant.  Redstone Arsenal has aggressively pursued reducing its
generation of hazardous waste since 1985.  A major area of concern involved
the open burning of waste propellants.  Since 1985, the percentage of waste
treatment by open burning has increased from 46 percent to 78 percent.
Redstone Arsenal initiated a research and development program designated to
demonstrate that Army munitions and missile systems can be demilitarized by
safe, cost effective and alternative methods while avoiding many of the
adverse environmental problems associated with open burning.

     Redstone's research program, called Super Critical Demilitarization for
Hazardous Waste Minimization, led to conceptual development and testing of an
innovative process designed to demilitarize, reclaim and recycle ammonium
perchlorate composite propellants.  These types of propellants are typically
employed in systems such as the Pershing II, NASA's space shuttle boosters and
Titan IVs.  The process has the potential to demilitarize hundreds of millions
of pounds of propellant in a cost effective manner.  Unlike other methods, the
process entirely avoids the use of water and allows the reclamation of vast
amounts of ammonium perchlorate which would then be available for use
elsewhere.  Ammonium perchlorate recovered from the process accounts for 75
percent to 80 percent of the waste propellant.  This process would
significantly reduce DOD requirements for open burning of wastes.

Anniston Army Depot HAZMIN Program

     Anniston Army Depot is a major combat vehicle center.  There, the Army's
M60 tanks and the new M1 Abrams main battle tanks are repaired and overhauled.
Industrial operations at the Depot generate large quantities of hazardous
wastes, including paint sludge, obsolete ammunition, sludge from industrial
wastewater treatment plants and solutions from chemical cleaning and finishing
operations.  To reduce the quality and toxicity of hazardous wastes generated,
Anniston Army Depot is actively pursuing new methods and technologies.
Anniston recently modified an automatic cadmium plating line used in
refurbishing the barrels of the M60 and M1 tanks.  The depot is also testing a
paint sludge minimization system to reduce wastes generated from one of its
eight waterfall spray paint booths.

     The hazardous wastes generated from the automated barrel cadmium plating
line consist primarily of cadmium and cyanide laden rinse waters.  The plating
process steps include cleaning, pickling, plating and dichromating.  Rinsing
is performed after each process step.  Approximately 10,000 gallons per day of
contaminated rinse waters containing cadmium and cyanide were discharged into
a central sump and subsequently sent to a cyanide destruction unit prior to
being discharged to a industrial wastewater treatment plant.  Several
modifications resulted in a reduction of the total volume of rinse water
flowing to the treatment plant by 40 percent and reduced the concentrations of
cadmium and cyanide in the waste water by 30 percent and 70 percent,
respectively.

     Other aggressive waste reduction programs, such as recycling solvents,
reusing paint strippers and segregating treatment plant sludges clearly
demonstrate Anniston Army Depot's commitment to reducing its generation of
hazardous wastes.

Fort Bliss HAZMIN Program

     Even though the Fort Bliss HAZMIN program is small, as compared to
examples cited previously, it illustrates the Army's commitment to hazardous
waste reduction at all installation and not just at industrial facilities.  At
Fort Bliss, they are evaluating all incoming hazardous materials.  They first
identify the process that use hazardous materials and those that produce
hazardous wastes.  They analyze whether the process producing the hazardous
wastes could be eliminated or changed.  By doing this, they will substantially
reduce their waste disposal needs.  For example, they found that battery acid
wastes constituted 86 percent of all hazardous wastes on the installation.
With the completion of a battery acid neutralization facility this year and
the elimination of scale remover at the radiator repair shop, the volume of
wastes is expected to decrease 95 percent by 1992.

The Navy and Environmental Protection

     The Navy has made great strides in its environment program since the
early 1970's.  In the earlier years, Navy focused on getting permits for point
discharges into the nation's waters, testing air emissions from boilers and
industrial facilities, installing sewage collection systems and holding tanks
on naval vessels and constructing pollution control projects ashore to comply
with new air and water quality regulations.  In the late 1970's, Congress
passed new legislation requiring stricter controls and focused on handling and
disposal of hazardous waste.  Thus, the Navy's program expanded to maintain
compliance.

     The Navy soon realized that the solution was not the end of the pipe.
Changes to basic procedures and processes that produce pollutants in the first
place would be necessary.  Entire operations, from "cradle-to-grave," now
integrate environmental considerations.  In many cases this has proven to be a
win/win situation.  Often, not only is the environment improved, but process
changes incorporate new technologies that increase productivity, save energy
and improve the safety and health of workers.

     Working within the common goal of cleaning up and protecting our
environment, the Navy is working hard to convey concerns, in the case of
unique operations, to local rulemakers.  For example, Navy engineers are
working with regulators in California that are writing air emission standards.
The objective is to clean up the air using proven, cost-effective technologies
while still allowing the use of special coatings for high performance
aircraft.  Rulemakers are generally reasonable in accommodating unique Defense
requirements as long as environmental objectives are also achieved.

     Like many large corporations that found it appropriate to involve senior
management in environmental issues, the Navy established a Flag Officer
Environmental Policy Steering Group to insure that operations are
environmentally sound.  This group of Navy admirals provides support and
oversight at the highest levels in the Navy.

     In order to support base commanders, the Navy has established a central
network of environmental professionals to provide direct technical support.
Environmental staffs at each of the Navy's six regional facilities engineering
field divisions provide direct, on-site support for the bases' environmental
programs.  In addition, centers of expertise have been established to handle
Navy-unique aircraft, ordnance and ship environmental issues.

     The Navy's research laboratory at Annapolis is developing a special, high
volume trash compactor to be used aboard ships to reduce a large volume of
trash into a small slug of solid waste that will sink if discharged overboard.
The compactor is automatic, simple and safe to operate and easy to maintain.

Environmental Compliance:  Air and Water Quality

     One of the Navy's success stories is the Air Quality Program.  In the
early 70's, the Navy began assessing central heating plants and industrial
facilities.  The Navy modified processes, improved performance, replaced
antiquated equipment, added air pollution control devices and trained
operators to insure that emission limits were met.  The Navy obtained permits
and monitored and reported performance.  With over 7,000 air sources, the Navy
has operated with over 99.5 percent compliance for the last three years.
Equipment failures and operator error cause a few violations each year, but
these are promptly corrected when they occur.

     Perhaps the most significant air quality challenge today is the control
of volatile organic compounds.  Clean Air Act non-attainment area limitations
on volatile organic compound emissions challenged the Navy to find alternative
paints in California last year.  The Navy responded by developing compliant
paints for repair work and by modifying methods.  The Navy is working closely
with local regulators to develop innovative work processes to allow the Navy
to meet mission demands and comply with the total emission limits.

     To reduce dependence on foreign oil and to help solve solid waste
disposal problems, the Navy has modified several heating plants to allow coal,
trash, or even wood chips to be burned instead of oil.  To avoid any problem
with air quality, electrostatic precipitators were installed as were scrubbers
to meet stringent standards.  The result is that the Navy has saved money,
reduced the amount of waste put into landfills and complied with emission
limits.

     One of the original thrusts in the Navy Environmental Program was geared
toward compliance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, now called
the Clean Water Act.  Part of this program focused on the elimination of
sewage discharge from ships in coastal waters and in America's harbors.  Over
$150 million in pier sewer connections were installed in Navy ports to accept
ships' waste.  Likewise, the Navy installed over $500 million worth of
internal modifications on ships - putting in sewage collection, holding and
transfer systems.  All commissioned ships as well as service craft and small
boats have been equipped with wastewater systems so that sewage is routinely
pumped ashore for proper treatment.  The Navy is making similar process in
installing oil/water separators aboard ships, and all new ships are
constructed so they meet the largest environmental standards.  To combat oil
spills, the Navy has purchased over $70 million worth of oil spill cleanup
equipment throughout the world, including a fleet of over 40 oil skimmers.

Hazardous Waste Minimization

     The Navy has over 150 major installations which produced about 200,000
tons of hazardous waste in 1987.  That is about one tenth of one percent of
the nation's hazardous wastes.  There is no question that hazardous waste
minimization is the ultimate solution to hazardous waste disposal problems.
Therefore, the Navy has set a goal of 50 percent reduction by the end of 1992.
That can be accomplished by continually studying hazardous waste production
and looking for improved methods and processes as well as product
substitutions.

     At the Naval Torpedo Station in Keyport, Washington, chemical paint
stripping of torpedoes was replaced with dry plastic media blasting.  That
change eliminates use of hazardous solvents and 3,500 gallons per week of
hazardous wastewater, thus saving over $200,000 each year.  In addition,
workers are not exposed to hazardous chemicals, energy is saved due to lower
ventilation requirements and productivity is increased.  This same process
will be incorporated throughout the Navy for many other paint stripping
operations.

     In March 1988, the Governor's Award for Excellence was awarded to the
Marine Corps Air Station and the Naval Aviation Depot at Cherry Point, North
Carolina, for significant achievement in waste management.  Governor Martin
made this award based on the Marines' virtual elimination of hazardous
wastewater disposal through the use of new electroplating processes and the
use of plastic media blasting on 75 percent of their aircraft paint stripping
work.

     A "model" hazardous materials management program will soon be complete.
This model will be used by Navy installations to carefully manage hazardous
materials, inform workers of dangers and precautions and seek to eliminate
hazardous material during the development of specifications and procurement
documents.

     The newest challenge, and one which the Navy has as its highest priority,
is identifying and cleaning up old waste disposal sites as mandated by the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liabilities Act
(CERCLA).  The Navy began investigating inactive hazardous waste disposal
sites in 1980.  This process included interviewing current and former
employees concerning their operations and disposal practices and reviewing
records and aerial photographs to determine potential hazardous waste disposal
sites.  The sites identified range from a few square yards to several acres in
size.

     The Navy has completed preliminary assessments of old waste disposal
sites at over 200 Navy installations.  As each assessment was completed, the
report was sent to EPA, state and local agencies.  As a result of these
preliminary assessments, over 900 sites have been identified for further
investigation.  The vast majority of the Navy's sites are quite small.  This
is because most installations are old, located in urban areas and the Navy has
disposed of much of its hazardous wastes off the station through private
disposal operations.  Typical examples of potential hazardous waste disposal
sites are spills of small quantities of hazardous substances, solid waste
landfills with some hazardous waste and fuel leaks from old tanks.

     After the preliminary assessment is completed, the Navy initiates a
remedial investigation and feasibility study to verify the presence of
contamination at each site.  This includes drilling wells, collecting samples
and analyzing them.  If contamination is confirmed, the study is expanded to
measure its extent and evaluate cleanup alternatives.  Finally, the site is
cleaned up.  The Navy consults with EPA, state and local regulatory agencies
each step of the way.  Meetings are held with the public and questions
answered.

     The Navy has 13 old hazardous waste disposal sites either listed or
proposed on EPA's National Priorities List.  These 13 sites have top priority
for clean up.

     In conclusion, the Navy's active environmental program strives to comply
with the nation's environmental laws.  Navy personnel have the same concerns
for protecting the environment as other members of the community, and are
sincerely concerned about the quality of our land, air and water.

Marine Corps and the Environment

     Because of the mission of the Marine Corps and the need to maintain
capability for amphibious operations worldwide, Marine Corps installations
reflect a special character with abundant environmental management challenges.

     Amphibious training means that some Marine bases must be located near
ocean environments with their fragile estuarine ecosystems.  Marine bases in
the California desert conscientiously protect and enhance endangered species
and archeological sites.  Air stations work with their neighbors to prevent
incompatible wastes which they treat or dispose.  At many installations past
waste disposal practices have resulted in sites that must be evaluated and
cleaned up under the Department of Defense Installation Restoration Program.

     To meet the hazardous waste reduction challenge, the Marines initiated
waste minimization studies at the greatest generators, the Marine Corps
Logistics Bases at Albany, Georgia and Barstow, California.  At Barstow, they
are working with the State of California to cleanup hazardous waste sites.
Remedial designs are complete and may be the first remedial actions of their
scale undertaken by the Department of Navy.

     The Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, California, has a model
recycling program that can serve as a prototype program for all Marine Corps
installations.

     The Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, North Carolina, contains
the Naval Aviation Depot which presents some formidable environmental
challenges.  The base has responded by developing an award-winning
environmental protection program.  In March 1988 the Governor's Award for
Excellence was presented to the Marine Corps Air Station and the Naval
Aviation Depot for significant achievements in waste management.  Governor
Martin presented the award based upon the virtual elimination of hazardous
wastewater through the use of new electroplating processes and the use of
plastic media blasting on 75 percent of their aircraft stripping work.

The Air Force and Environmental Protection

     The Air Force operates 9,500 aircraft from over 100 major installations
in the United States.  These are small cities, ranging in population from
4,000 to 20,000.  Air Force installations are among the largest population
communities in some states and the five main maintenance facilities are the
major employers in their areas.

     The Air Force has a longstanding commitment to environmental quality.
Initially, this was a matter of protecting the well-being of the military.
That meant making sure that liquid and solid wastes were properly collected,
treated and disposed of and that groundwater protection was an integral part
of all siting considerations.  Today the protection of the environment has a
much broader scope and is an integral part of the mission.

Pollution Abatement and Control

     The increasing environmental awareness of the 1970's beginning with NEPA,
sent a clear message to the nation.  The Air Force also realized that an
organization with capabilities in the various technical, economic and social
disciplines was needed.  Thus the Air Force Environmental Division was formed
with responsibilities for development and oversight of multi-media pollution
prevention, control and abatement programs, natural resources programs,
environmental and base comprehensive planning, the Air Installation Compatible
Use Zone Program and the Air Force Installation Restoration Program.  But, in
total, the Air Force has a dedicated environmental quality force of over 800
full time military and civilian professionals.  These are augmented by another
thousand who spend some time on environmental matters. Additionally, almost
1,500 people operate and maintain pollution control facilities.

     Since its inception as the Army Air Service, the Air Force has recognized
that pollution control and abatement was important.  Initially programs were
established to protect the health and safety of employees.  The environmental
program has evolved to not only protect and enhance the quality of the
environment for Air Force employees, but also to manage the mission in a
manner that is sensitive to the surrounding community and the complexities of
the environment and natural resources.

     The beginning of the Air Force's environmental program of today has a
long history of protecting water quality.  The first biological treatment
system to be installed anywhere in DOD went into operation at Randolph Field,
Texas, during World War I.  Passage of the 1965 Clean Water Act brought added
emphasis to this program.

     The Air Force also aggressively pursued air pollution control both from
fixed facilities and aircraft engines.  Initial control methods for stationary
sources focused on conversion from old coal-burning plants to cleaner fuels,
such as oil and natural gas.  The energy crisis of the mid 70's caused
reevaluation of "simple" solutions and renewed emphasis on treatment to reduce
emissions while burning available coal supplies.  Particulate emissions have
been reduced, so efforts now concentrate on volatile organic compounds (VOC)
emission control.  The Air Force is focusing on reduction of emissions from
fuel storage facilities which make up half of the VOCs from Air Force sources.

     Together with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, the Air Force
has actively pursued the development and installation of a smokeless combustor
for aircraft a problem compounded by the necessity to maintain combat
performance ability.  The Air Force prefers aircraft which do not trail smoke
or any other exhaust signature.  Thus, an Air Force requirement for Low
visibility exhaust and environmental protection come together in a common need
for improved aircraft engines.

Hazardous Waste Minimization

     Building on initial efforts in water and air pollution control, the Air
Force focus today is on control at point of generation.  Thus waste cleanup
and minimization are receiving a lot of attention.  Past practices for
disposal of hazardous wastes, while accepted at the time, have been shown to
be potential threats to the environment and public health.  The Air Force
Installation Restoration Program (IRP) addresses these problems.  Initiated in
1979, the IRP includes finding, assessing and cleaning up waste disposal sites
which pose a threat to the environment or health.  While the program was
initiated in 1979, passage of special appropriations legislation in 1984 for a
Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) thrust IRP into the forefront
of environmental issues as an analog to the Superfund.  All major
installations have been assessed to determine if cleanup is required and
further investigations are under way at 96 bases.  Since 1980, removals or
other remedial actions have been undertaken at 44 bases.  DERA funds are also
used to fund IRP technology research and a share of cleanup costs at sites off
bases which received Air Force wastes.  To date, the Air Force has spent over
half a billion dollars to study the problem and clean up bases.  Through the
end of the century, almost four billion dollars may be required to finish the
job.

     Federal and state environmental regulatory agencies regularly inspect Air
Force installations for compliance with environmental regulations.  To improve
environmental compliance, the Air Force established the Environmental
Compliance Assessment and Management Program (ECAMP), a self-auditing program.
The objective of ECAMP is to enhance environmental compliance through the use
of compliance evaluations and management action plans.  This approach allows
installation commanders to identify the compliance issues, correct the
immediate problems and program the resources needed for the longer term and
expensive efforts.

     Initiated in 1987, the Air Force Radon Assessment and Mitigation Program
(RAMP), was prompted by results of commercial radon testing throughout the
United States and concern for public health.  During the initial assessment
phase, 4,040 indoor air samples were taken in housing units, schools, child
care centers and dormitories at 135 major Air Force installations worldwide.
Of these, over 95 percent had radon levels below the EPA mitigation levels.
The bases identified by this initial screening process will be entered into
the detailed assessment phase to identify all Air Force structures requiring
mitigation.

Land Use Planning

     The Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) program promotes
compatible land use around military airfields.  The goal is to protect both
the public and the flying mission of the installation from the negative
effects of incompatible off-base development. Since its inception in 1973, the
Air Force's AICUZ program has been a model for similar programs implemented by
the other military services and the FAA. To date, 90 Air Force installations
have prepared and distributed AICUZ studies in an effort to supply local
governments information on the noise and safety considerations associated with
aircraft operations.  Land use compatibility guidelines based on these
considerations are also provided to the communities for use in their land use
planning and zoning process.  Where AICUZ recommendations have been adopted,
both the public's quality of life and the installation's operational integrity
have been enhanced.

     The Base Comprehensive Planning (BCP) Program strives to develop new
concepts for base utilization and quality of life into the 21st century.  The
objective of BCP in the Air Force is to build a comprehensive framework for
many separate but interrelated programs in order to provide an overall, long
range plan to effectively manage the installation's natural, constructed and
human resources.  It is the primary means to assess the effects of operational
changes on an installation's natural resources and support systems in order to
guide development into the 21st century.  Comprehensive planning is a process
in which very early programming and design decisions are made to provide the
foundation for sound community development.

Environmental Challenges Ahead

     The foregoing review of each of the military departments reveals a set of
concerns common to all the services, which emerge as the most challenging
environmental problems facing the Department of Defense.  The Department
appears to be fully aware of enormous task it faces and prepared to be
diligent in solving these problems in creative and effective ways.  In
summary, these challenges include:

     - Acquiring and maintaining access to sufficient land and airspace to
accomplish defense missions

     - Integrating environmental considerations into the complex defense
systems development and acquisition process

     - Effectively managing hazardous materials, and minimizing the generation
of hazardous wastes

     - Cleaning up past waste disposal sites that pose a threat to public
health or environmental quality.

     Caring for the environment is a mission of the military of which most
citizens are unaware.  Yet billions of their tax dollars have been spent
through the Defense budget over the past 25 years to provide environmental
protection and restoration.  This commitment will continue to be reflected in
the way the Defense Department does business.  Proper management of natural
resources on the nation's Defense lands and installations provides many
benefits, both to the Department and the public.  For the Department of
Defense not only maintains facilities and training areas for present and
future use, but demonstrates to the American people that a military
installation can be a good neighbor and a good guest.