us turn the corner on getting away from studies and to work on actual cleanups. Mr. Chairman, as indicated earlier, the Department foresees a wave of costly cleanup projects coming due in the mid 1990's and it is cost effective to get a jump on this wave now to lower total costs and to allow us to better manage the total program. The old adage, time is money, is more true in this business than perhaps any other. These funds will also support activities to assure health protection of those living and working on DoD installations and in surrounding communities. Environmental Compliance FY 1992 Supplemental Request. A total of $431.7 million is requested to meet new environmental standards and regulations, accelerate accomplishment of mandatory projects, and undertake additional activities to prevent pollution across all Department of Defense Components. The supplemental funds need to be allocated as follows: Operation & Maintenance, Army Operation and Maintenance, Defense Agencies $116 million 33 million 263 million 19.7 million The Department's baseline amount for compliance in the Fiscal Year 1992 is about $1.4 billion. The revised total for these activities including the supplemental request is slightly less than $1.9 billion. Under the pollution prevention program, new and amplified projects are needed to support the recent decision by President Bush to accelerate by 5 years, the phase out of ozone depleting chemical production in the United States. These chemicals provide equipment temperature control, fire protection and suppression, and other uses in weapon system maintenance. Efforts to identify ozone depleting chemical uses, develop replacement processes or materials, reuse/recycle existing stocks and to build a strategic reserve are now required to meet the objectives of the accelerated phase out. The pollution prevention activities to be funded under the supplemental request also include programs to reduce use of 17 chemicals covered under EPA's Industrial Toxics Program and other hazardous materials, to reduce the generation of hazardous and nonhazardous solid waste, and to increase the reuse and recycling of materials that cannot be eliminated at the source because of mission criticality and other constraints. Funding for pollution prevention is essential to avoid future disposal costs and liabilities that are facing large increases. The supplemental also provides funding to accelerate environmental compliance projects such as underground storage tank replacements/upgrades, wastewater treatment systems, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) phaseout, inventories to identify requirements driven by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, facility upgrades to meet storm water discharge requirements, and numerous surveys/studies required by law. Included in the latter are mitigating actions identified in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessments and integrated training area management programs to ensure realistic training efforts comply with local, state, and federal policies regarding endangered species, wetlands, floodplains, and other land use laws. - Mr. Chairman, these requirements will have to be done are required by the law. I believe the Department, the environment and the taxpayer are well served if we set about doing them now.. they Base Closure FY 1992 Environmental Cleanup Supplemental Request. For the BCA, Part II, a total of $162.7 million is requested through supplemental appropriation and an additional $69 million is requested through transfer authority from the Environmental Restoration, Defense appropriation. This additional $231.7 million for BCA, Part II, is necessary to execute an effective environmental cleanup program at bases to be closed and ensure that schedules can be maintained. Lack of full funding for cleanup can severely impact the ability of local communities to place base properties scheduled for closure into timely and productive use. These funds will be used for the full range of environmental cleanup requirements although a significant portion is necessary for actual cleanup costs. The cleanup phase of the work must be conducted to meet statutory requirements before contaminated property can be turned over to local communities. The FY 1992-93 President's Budget submission in January 1991 included $69 million for environmental restoration at Round II closure bases. This preliminary estimate was developed, however, several months before the selection of bases to be closed was finalized by the Base Closure Commission. The additional $162.7 million requested through this supplemental appropriation reflects later cost data formulated after the final selection of bases to be closed was announced on July 1, 1991. In regard to the need for transfer authority, the Conference report accompanying the FY 1992 Defense Appropriation Act earmarked $69 million of the amount appropriated for Environmental Restoration, Defense (ER, D) to support environmental remediation of bases scheduled for closure. However, the current law prohibits the transfer of funds from the ER, D appropriation into the BCA, Part II, without specific language to this effect, which does not now exist. The Department requests enactment of language which would permit the transfer of the $69 million from the EP, D account to the BCA, Part II. The necessary language is part of the President's supplemental request. FY 1993 Amended Budget Submittal. The total request is slightly more than $3.7 billion and represents the Department's best estimate of the minimum funding needed to meet all applicable environmental requirements in all of our program areas, including base closure needs. While the request is at about the same level as the expanded FY 1992 level it represents a more than 30 percent increase over the FY 1992 base level. This reflects the President's and the Secretary's commitment to meeting increasingly important and stringent environmental requirements head on. CONCLUSION The Department of Defense has made significant headway toward institutionalizing an environmental ethic within DoD. The perseverance and commitment of DoD personnel, from the installation level to the Secretary, have enabled the Department to lead the way among Federal agencies in environmental protection. This continuing dedication to duty, both in the defense of our national security and in the protection of the environment, will enable DoD to meet the challenges ahead. The Department's environmental vision to take the lead in global stewardship is more than mere compliance; it means action and commitment. To this end, the Department has made great progress: The land, water and air at DoD installations are precious resources and must be managed so that they are protected for future generations. The Department's budget requests, if enacted, will allow us to do that responsibly and prudently. Chairman and members of the Committee, this completes my statement, and I am prepared to answer any questions that you may have. Mr. FISCAL YEAR 1992 ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPLEMENTAL Mr. DICKS. Mr. Secretary, this Committee continues to hear of the urgency for Congress to pass the fiscal year 1992 environmental supplemental. Could you explain this request to the Committee and the reason for its urgency? Mr. BACA. Yes, Mr. Chairman. The supplemental addresses perhaps four areas. It addresses the need to fund BRAC II. There was a problem in the way the funding issue evolved to the point where BRAC II is currently not funded. This is a serious situation in that it has either slowed down or stopped all activity on bases to be closed. This is going to severely impact commurities Mr. DICKS. It will be on the second list of bases that are to be closed? Mr. BACA. That is correct. The second element is to expedite restoration efforts. We are setting new goals. The Secretary wants us to step up our efforts in cleaning up past activities. The third part of the supplemental addresses pollution prevention. The President declared that CFCs and halons would be phased out by 1995. This has put pressure on the Department to find substitute materials for these chemicals that impact the ozone layer. The fourth element of the supplemental is to address compliance. With the increased pressure of new laws, the Clean Air Act, Amendments for example, it is important that the DOD get its act together, that it address infrastructure needs, sewage treatment plants, and so forth. Those four elements, Mr. Chairman, are what are addressed in the supplemental. Mr. DICKS. We are going to place in the record a copy of the summary of the Committee's Surveys and Investigations Staff report and we will give you a copy of that today. [The report follows:] SUMMARY Defense Environmental The Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) was established in 1984 to coordinate efforts for the evaluation and cleanup at Department of Defense (DOD) stateside installations and in U.S. possessions and territories. DERP includes over 17,000 sites and consists of two major programs: (1) the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) where potential contamination is investigated and cleaned up, and (2) the Other Hazardous Waste Program where efforts such as research and development programs aimed at reducing hazardous waste generation rates are conducted. DOD spent approximately $3.8 billion on DERP, primarily for site assessments and studies, from FY 1984 through FY 1991. For FY 1992, $1.2 billion has been appropriated and DOD has requested a supplemental appropriation of $447.5 million. DOD also used approximately $1.9 billion in non-DERP funding for hazardous waste compliance projects. In addition, no less than $320 million was appropriated to fund restoration of U.S. bases selected for closure in 1988. Another $100 million has been appropriated for restoration and other requirements for U.S. bases selected for closure in 1991. DOD estimates it will need approximately $4.5 billion over the next 3 fiscal years for DERP. DOD estimates it will cost $24.5 billion to complete the IRP by the year 2011. The estimate is based on restoration of 7,300 sites costing $18.9 billion. The remaining $5.6 billion covers other costs, such as program management. DOD's estimate is questionable, however, because most studies necessary to determine the nature and extent of contamination have not been done. Program Status DOD data show, as of September 30, 1991, there were 17,660 sites at 1,877 installations in the IRP. Included were 6,663 sites, or approximately 38 percent, which were not contaminated and were closed-out without any Remedial Action required. DOD overstated the number of IRP installations because it has not excluded the 923 with no known contamination. Accordingly, there are 10,924 active sites at 954 installations. The IRP uses a three stage sequential process to determine site contamination: Assessment Phase, Study Phase, and Remedial Phase. |