Metropolitan Water District opposes RRPI proposal

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

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Metropolitan Board Opposes Efforts to Exempt Defense Department,
Contractors from Environmental Law

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004--
MWD board calls on Department of Defense to accept responsibility for
remediation, cleanup of perchlorate contamination in water sources

Calling it "bad public policy," Metropolitan Water District's board of
directors today formally opposed the Department of Defense's current
efforts to exempt all military bases and defense contractors from
existing federal laws that regulate the release and cleanup of
environmental hazards.

Metropolitan's board specifically cited perchlorate contamination that
has tainted numerous Southern California surface water and groundwater
resources and has been linked to Defense Department activities and
contractors.

"Granting broad exemptions to the Department of Defense would be bad
public policy," said Metropolitan board Chairman Phillip J. Pace.
"Although the proposed exemptions have not garnered wide support, water
agencies throughout the West and the nation are concerned about the
precedent they would set if passed by Congress.

"While we appreciate the need to allow the Defense Department to do its
important work, we need to safeguard water quality. Ultimately,
protecting the public is a task we share with the department," Pace
said.

Sought through the Defense Department's Readiness and Range Preservation
Initiative, the proposed exemptions could strip state and federal
environmental regulators of any authority to enforce cleanup of certain
contaminants, such as perchlorate, until the pollution migrated off
military bases.

The proposed exemptions from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act of 1980 may also effectively prevent litigation against parties,
particularly the military, which are responsible for perchlorate and
other possible pollutants that have contaminated public drinking water
supplies.

The Department of Defense's proposal marks the military's latest effort
to seek the exemptions. Last year, the Defense Department dropped the
same amendments from the National Defense Authorization Act after
enormous opposition.

"Although the Department of Defense believes the proposed exemptions are
necessary to maintain military readiness, there are ways to maintain
that readiness without jeopardizing water quality," Metropolitan Chief
Executive Officer Ronald R. Gastelum said. "In the end, blanket
exemptions and the failure to address contamination that has already
escaped would unfairly shift a national financial obligation onto water
ratepayers and consumers."

The Department of Defense has yet to meet U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's
(D-Calif.) November 2002 request to take responsibility for the
perchlorate contamination caused by programs and activities related to
the department and its contractors.

A chemical used in the manufacture of solid rocket fuel, munitions and
fireworks, perchlorate has been detected in more than 300 groundwater
wells throughout Southern California, forcing many local district's to
shut down wells. Low levels of contamination also have been detected in
the region's Colorado River supplies, emanating from a chemical
manufacturing facility owned by Kerr-McGee Chemical LLE near Lake Mead
in Nevada. Currently, Kerr-McGee, under the direction of the state of
Nevada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is treating the
contaminated water at the site.

"Unfortunately, conventional water treatment does not remove
perchlorate," Gastelum said. "Metropolitan, however, continues to track
and support efforts that reduce perchlorate at the supply source."

With its action today, Metropolitan's board joined the Association of
California Water Agencies, the Association of Metropolitan Water
Agencies and the American Water Works Association in opposing the
proposed exemptions.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative
of 26 cities and water agencies serving 18 million people in six
counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and
Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members
to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other
water-management programs.


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--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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