CAMP GRAYLING RANGE

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

CAMP GRAYLING RANGE TESTING

The EPA decision to order a halt to live firing at Camp Edwards 
(Massachusetts Military Reservations) is having reverberations across 
the country. At Camp Grayling, Michigan, one of the few sites where any 
toxic testing of impact ranges has taken place, the AuSable Manistee 
Action Council sent the following letter on May 20, 1997 to EPA Region 
5 Administrator Valdas Adamkus, seeking more targeted sampling.

Lenny Siegel

Dear Mr. Adamkus:

For nearly ten years, we have been involved in an attempt to install 
environmental accountability and an environmentally sustainable 
training scenario at Camp Grayling, MI. We have made some headway but 
much more is needed in the State mandated Pollution Testing program 
underway at the Camp's firing ranges. Based on what has just happened 
in Cape Cod and the EPA Region 1 Administrator's standing order, we are 
now approaching you with a request for assistance.

Our request is for the US EPA to intercede at Camp Grayling to provide 
needed oversight and investigation into the adequacy or inadequacy of 
the range testing protocols. We have been very unhappy with the program 
so far but cannot seem to influence the National Guard and their 
contractors to conduct a relevant program. The Michigan DEQ who took 
this matter over from the MI DNR in a recent shakeup also has not been 
willing to accept our input. Essentially, we want to see the testing 
take place within the range Impact Areas at the location of the craters 
caused by the thousands of High Explosive artillery/mortar rounds and 
aerial bombs impacting each year.

Instead of testing at the craters, the Guard has persisted in skirting 
the real issues by testing "outside the fence" and making a big show of 
not finding problems. They shoot the same weapons in Mich. as they 
shoot in Mass. but in Mich. no RDX, TNT, DNT, or HMX is found in 
alarming concentrations, according to the Guard. This is of great 
concern, especially since Camp Grayling abuts both the AuSable River 
and the Manistee River, two renowned trout streams where the trout 
population is only a shadow of what it was 15+ years ago.

Rather than go on and on, we are enclosing some historical data to help 
you and your staff get a feel for the problem and some of the "spin 
doctoring" that became obvious early on. Please help on this. We will 
work closely with you.

Lastly, you will note from the copy of our standing 1993 resolution, we 
are not out to close Camp Grayling but, to modify its mission to one 
the natural and human environment is able to withstand.

Sincerely,

AMAC The AuSable Manistee Action Council
Dan Alstott, Pres/CEO