Please act on stopping a new law that will give too many exemptions for military at cost of human health and environment

[Guest guest]

Please act on this. The military already has many exemptions in place

for actions that can cause health and environmental damage. This new

law removes boundaries that should be kept in place-- so there remains

some semblance of responsibility and accountability. If you click on

this link

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=32 & id4=ES

you will find a ready-made note that FL PIRG will forward to your

representatives. You can change the note if you wish, or send as is.

Best Wishes, A. Hotz

-----Original Message-----

From: Mark Ferrulo, Florida PIRG Director

[mailto:MarkF@...]

Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 4:03 PM

Subject: Florida PIRG asks you to help uphold environmental laws

Dear Florida PIRG supporter,

The Department of Defense (DoD) is seeking permanent exemptions from

five critical environmental laws: the Endangered Species Act, the

Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act and the federal Superfund law which

governs the cleanup of toxic waste sites. While there is no denying

that military readiness is crucial, each of these laws already allows

case-by-case exemptions for national security reasons. Moreover, the

military to date has been able to prepare for war while protecting

wildlife and public health.

Congress is quickly moving forward with the Defense Authorization

bill, which contains these exemptions. Please take a moment to urge

your members of Congress to oppose any attempts to exempt the

Department of Defense from the nation's most important environmental

laws. Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail

your members of Congress.

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=32 & id4=ES

BACKGROUND

Congress is being asked to consider a proposal from the Pentagon that

would provide the Department of Defense with sweeping exemptions from

the laws that protect our water, air and wildlife. Under this

proposal, the Defense Department will be exempted from laws that have

long been supported by the American people, including laws that

preserve the air and water around our military facilities, protect the

health of people who live on or near military bases and sustain

America's wildlife. The specific laws include the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act, Superfund (CERCLA), the Clean Air Act,

the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The statutes now under fire already provide the flexibility needed to

balance environmental protection and military readiness by allowing

exemptions on a case-by-case basis in the interest of national

security. There is no evidence that the military has ever been

refused an exemption from these laws when it has been sought, and

there is abundant evidence that cooperative local efforts have

produced effective solutions. The military has, time and time again,

found reasonable solutions to pursue necessary training in compliance

with environmental laws.

Independent and administration sources agree that protecting the

environment has not compromised readiness. The General Accounting

Office (GAO) said the DoD has failed to produce quantitative evidence

that environmental laws or other " encroachments " have significantly

affected military readiness. And Whitman, head of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, recently testified before the Senate

that she has " been working very closely with the Department of Defense

and [doesn't] believe that there is a training mission anywhere in the

county that is being held up or not taking place because of

environmental protection regulation. "

Last year, with the exception of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,

Congress rejected these exemptions. But this year, Congress is

quickly moving forward with a Defense Authorization bill that contains

these exemptions.

Please take a moment to urge your members of Congress to oppose any

attempts to exempt the Department of Defense from the nation's most

important environmental laws. Follow the link below to go to a web

page where you can e-mail your members of Congress.

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=32 & id4=ES

Sincerely,

Mark Ferrulo

Florida PIRG Director

MarkF@...

http://www.FloridaPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this

e-mail with your family and friends.

----------

If you want to change your e-mail address or are getting e-mail at

multiple e-mail addresses then follow this link -

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id2=9330 & id6=change - to a web page

where you can change your e-mail address.

If you want us to stop sending you e-mail then follow this link -

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id2=9330 & id6=remove - to a web page

where you can remove yourself.