HWAC ER FUNDING PRINCIPLES

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

HWAC ISSUES STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

The Hazardous Waste Action Coalition, which represents cleanup 
consultants and contractors throughout the U.S., has developed a 
statement of Principles regarding Environmental Restoration Funding. 
The Coalition has an obvious interest in seeing that federal cleanup 
dollars continue to flow, but until recently they have not taken part in 
the budget debate. HWAC can be reached at 1015 Fifteenth Street, 
NW, Washington, DC 20005.

The following is the May 12, 1995 version of the Principles.

1. The Federal Government's stewardship responsibility for federal 
facilities cannot be ignored. The Government's mission-driven 
operations in support of national defense led to environmental 
contamination at federal facilities. Contamination at these facilities 
must be addressed to resolve public health and safety concerns for the 
present generation and to leave a better legacy for future generations.

2. Military readiness remains a critical priority today. However, 
deferring environmental restoration activities at active or closing bases 
and nuclear weapons development facilities today will hurt military 
readiness and modernization tomorrow by increasing the cost of 
cleanup later. Closing military bases must be restored for 
economically viable use by local communities and to avoid increased 
costs later which could hinder DOD's modernization efforts.

3. Scarce funding makes it incumbent upon Congress to responsible 
and consistently allocate those resources to critical priorities. Public 
health and safety, among the highest of our critical priorities, and 
corresponding remediation of hazardous waste threats on and near 
federal installations and facilities requires stable funding over time.

4. While public health and safety threats must be addressed, 
permanent solutions to the most technologically complex and costly 
challenges in environmental restoration can be deferred until 
technological advances allow such threats to be addressed more cost-
effectively. Responsibly committing scarce resources based on risk 
assessment and future land use to environmental restoration problems 
that we can cost-effectively solve today will demonstrate both 
accountability and progress to the American taxpayer.

5. Cost savings and performance improvements in environmental 
restoration activities, including those associated with contract reform, 
acquisition streamlining, risk assessment, and program restructuring, 
depend upon careful management and effective teamwork in reshaping 
federal environmental programs. Partnership among the Congress, 
states, federal agencies, affected communities, scientific and 
engineering professionals, and others engaged in environmental 
restoration activities is essential to bringing cost and performance into 
balance. Industry involvement in the reinvention process will assure 
that appropriate scientific, engineering and construction expertise 
critical to environmental restoration remains available to meet the 
requirements of still evolving environmental challenges both now and 
in future generations.

6. As Congress considers cuts in federal spending for environmental 
restoration programs, some federal agencies will translate those 
reductions into cuts in actual remediation activities rather than reducing 
the local federal administrative workforce. The result would reduce the 
federal workforce less that intended with a lower return on the 
taxpayer's investment in environmental restoration. Reducing the 
Federal Government's funding levels should be accompanied by 
commensurate reductions in the federal workforce.