DOD ENVIRONMENTAL BUDGET - FY 97

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR FY '97
The Department of Defense Environmental Security Office yesterday 
briefed the press on its proposed FY1997 budget, $4.7 billion out of a 
total proposed Defense budget of $251.9 billion, or just under 1.9%. 
The figures, which are still being presented as estimates, are:
Compliance $1,986,000,000
Cleanup (active and former bases) $1,333,000,000
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)-environmental $775,000,000
Pollution Prevention $309,000,000
Technology $204,000,000
Conservation $111,000,000
TOTAL 4,718,000,000
The combined base closure and cleanup budget total, $2,108,000,000, is 
up 7 percent from the final 1996 appropriation of $1,976,500,000, but 
it is slightly lower than expected. For the first time, base closure 
cleanup represents more than one third of the total cleanup program, at 
nearly 37 percent. There are two chief reasons: 1) Base closure cleanup 
has support from conservative economic interests, as well as 
"environmental" interests; 2) The BRAC '95 list of closures moved 
several large cleanup programs, such as McClellan Air Force Base 
(California), the Letterkenny Army Depot (Pennsylvania), Kelly Air 
Force Base (Texas), and the Savanna Depot Activity (Illinois) into the 
BRAC account.
Is the Defense proposal enough? On the one hand, it appears high enough 
to maintain a credible program, if procedures are fully implemented to 
re-sequence projects based upon priorities established in cooperation 
with regulatory agencies and public stakeholders. On the other hand, 
base environmental officials are telling local communities that there 
isn't enough money to carry out planned activities. At active bases, 
delaying low priority projects is sometimes an appropriate response, 
but at BRAC bases where property is scheduled for transfer or reuse, 
delays increase economic hardship.
I would be interested in hearing from readers: To what degree have 
cleanup budget constraints limited planned investigation or remediation 
projects at military bases in your area?