Inquiry finds waste removal at snail's pace

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TRI-VALLEY HERALD
Inquiry finds waste removal at snail's pace
Only 40 percent of military sites assessed
By John Heilprin, Associated Press
January 17, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Removing unexploded munitions and hazardous waste found so
far on 15 million acres of shutdown U.S. military ranges could take more
than 300 years, congressional auditors say.

In a report to Congress, the General Accounting Office said the Defense
Department has yet to assess three-fifths of the 2,307 potentially
contaminated sites identified as of September 2002 and has finished
cleaning up only 1 percent of them. Some areas have been redeveloped for
homes and parks.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press before its release, said
the Pentagon "does not yet have a complete and viable plan" to guide its
remaining cleanups. Assessments of the sites not yet examined in detail
for possible explosive hazards, chemical warfare material and chronic
health and environmental hazards won't be completed until 2012, the GAO
said.

The department's latest estimate for the cleanups is anywhere from $8
billion to $35 billion. That's an increase from its previous estimate,
little more than a year ago, of up to $20 billion.

At the current rate of annual spending -- $106 million on average during
the Bush administration -- the cleanup "could take from 75 to 330 years
to complete," the auditors said.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~1897673,00.html

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