Lt. Col. Benson ltr. re: RMA

[Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>]

 On March 15 N. John Benson, Jr. (Lt. Colonel (Promotable), 
 U.S. Army) wrote the following to SAPC members:
 ------------------------------------------------------------------
 March 15, 1995
 Honorable Gail Schoettler
 Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
 Denver, CO 80222-1530

 Dr. Ralph Morgenweck
 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 P.O. Box 25486
 Denver Federal Center
 Denver, CO 80225

 Mr. Larry Smith
 Shell Oil Company
 1 Shell Plaza
 Room 4680
 P.O. Box 2463
 Houston, TX 77252-2463

 Mr. William P. Yellowtail
 Regional Administrator
 Environmental Protection Agency
 999 18th Street, Suite 500
 Denver, CO 80202-2466

 Dear SAPC Members:

 We are encouraged by the progress made at the Rocky Mountain
 Arsenal settlement meetings held on February 24 & 25. If settlement is to
 be achieved at the Arsenal, however, significantly more progress will have
 to be made on April 1 & 2. In an effort to make these meetings as
 productive as possible, please consider the Army's budget limitation as you
 prepare for the meetings.

 Based on our review of the costs of the Army proposal in the
 Detailed analysis of Alternatives (DAA) and the Army's additional offer,
 the recent actions that have reduced the Defense Department's environmental
 budget and additional proposed reductions to that budget, the Army has
 determined that realistically we cannot seek funding for a remedy that
 would bring the total Arsenal clean up cost over $2 billion. The Army will
 have already spent more than $750 million at the site by the signing of the
 ROD. Consequently, I have $1.25 billion with which to negotiate.

 Enclosed are Army estimates of what the Army's preferred remedy,
 Alternative 2 of the DAA, would cost, $1.88 billion, and what the Army's
 additional offer would cost, between $1.99 billion and $2.11 billion.
 While the high end of this range exceeds the $2 billion ceiling, the Army
 stands by our previous offer, We can only continue to support this offer
 through the next settlement discussions. After that date, we will have to
 reevaluate our position. Of course, if settlement is not reached, the Army
 still supports Alternative 2 of the DAA in the formal dispute process, an
 alternative that fully protects human health and the environment while also
 being fiscally responsible.

 I hope that the current settlement discussions will result in a
 remedy that we can implement and we can all support as protective of human
 health and the environment. This is our best opportunity to do so. The
 money constraints will only worsen. I urge each of you to consider our
 position in light of these developments.

 Sincerely,
 N. John Benson, Jr.
 Lieutenant Colonel 
 (Promotable), U.S. Army 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------