[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF LAND TRANSFERS AFTER BASE CLOSURES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is recognized 
during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, one of the many proposals floating around 
these days is the idea of eliminating the so-called nontraditional 
defense spending, which includes items such as the environmental 
cleanup of military bases. This is not only bad policy, but it is 
irresponsible. It will create not an unfunded mandate as much as an 
``unfunded liability.''
  As DOD closes numerous bases throughout the Nation, one of the 
biggest challenges that they face is how to transfer land to the local 
communities in the same condition in which they received it. However, 
environmental conditions on many of these facilities are abominable, 
and it will get worse if we put off cleanup for some unspecified date 
in the future. What is needed is more not less attention to the 
environmental concerns on these bases.
  Gutting the funds for these programs sends the wrong message to our 
local communities. If this happens, local governments will be forced to 
pick up the tab for fixing a disaster that they had no part in creating 
in the first place.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not the time to run away from our obligations. 
Instead, the Department of Defense should live up to their 
responsibility to clean up after themselves. By maintaining funding for 
``nontraditional'' defense spending, this Congress can stand by our 
commitment to make our government more accountable to the people it 
serves, and that is the right thing to do in my book.
  Earlier we have heard a discussion about trying to point to issues. 
Well, there are issues and there are issues.
  But the seriousness of these issues cannot be addressed as long as 
the leadership of the institution is under a cloud--and it is the 
responsibility of the majority to clean it up and a legitimate right of 
the minority to point it out.

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