Re: CONGRESSIONAL LETTER SUPPORTS DERA

[Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>]

 posted by Mather AFB RAB
 via Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>
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 What follows is a letter that the Mather AFB RAB is 
 circulating throughout its community for signatures. It 
 will be sent to their legislators on Friday (6-14-95). It 
 serves as an example of what one community is doing in 
 response to the cuts in the DERA budget. Please feel free 
 to adapt it to your own needs. The Mather AFB RAB 
 encourages other RABs to collect community signatures in 
 support of full funding for environmental cleanup.

_______________________________________________________________ 

 The signatures below represent citizens concerned about the 
 rescission of $300 million that was initially appropriated 
 through the Defense Environmental Restoration Act for 
 environmental cleanup. The Defense Supplemental 
 Appropriations Act has decreased the total amount left to 
 cleanup active and formerly active bases to $1.48 billion. 
 Presently the pentagon recognizes 1,722 contaminated 
 installations, 107 of which are contaminated enough to 
 warrant listing on the National Priority List. The $1.48 
 billion granted is $700 million less than requested by the 
 Department of Defense.

 The House National Security Committee has recommended for 
 fiscal year 1996 $200 million in cuts to the Defense 
 Environmental Restoration Act which will bring the budgeted 
 amount to $1.42 billion. The number of bases requiring 
 cleanup has basically stayed the same.

 We want to urge our legislators to sign the Studds-Ehrlich 
 letter so that we can work together in prioritizing sites 
 that pose the greatest risk to human health and the 
 environment. We also invite the co-signers to join in 
 calling for funding for military cleanup at the level 
 requested by the Clinton Administration.

 We would at this time like to commend the cleanup efforts 
 that have been going on at Mather Air Force Base. Great 
 strides have been made in implementing reuse. We greatly 
 appreciate your support in this area and ask for continued 
 help. We would be greatly dismayed to see funding taken 
 away or decreased to the point that the contamination 
 spreads and our health affected. We have great faith in the 
 American System and know that our children will grow up in a 
 land that provides protection for them abroad and at home.

 NAME ADDRESS