[CPEO-MEF] Pentagon Seeks Exemption From Environmental Laws

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Pentagon Seeks Exemption From Environmental Laws
Posted Saturday, March 30, 2002 by ishgooda

Pentagon Seeks Exemption From Environmental Laws

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/30/politics/30ENVI.html

WASHINGTON, March 29 - Concerned that several environmental laws are 
interfering with the military's ability to train soldiers and develop 
weapons, the Pentagon is seeking a Congressional exemption from an array 
of measures that have protected endangered species and their habitats 
for years.

A draft of the exemption bill, circulating in the Pentagon and on 
Capitol Hill, seeks exemptions on national security grounds for bombing 
ranges, air bases and training grounds from sections of the Clean Air 
Act, Clean Water Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Noise Control Act, 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.

The Defense Department controls about 25 million acres for training 
grounds, about 90 percent of which is undeveloped buffer. It spends 
about $4 billion a year to comply with environmental laws, money that 
Pentagon officials say could be better spent preparing the military for 
combat, especially in light of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Read the total story at: 
http://nativenewsonline.org/   
in: ATTACK ON US

Jim Oyler