[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 140 (Wednesday, October 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HIA FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 2, 1996

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the recently passed fiscal 
year 1997 appropriations bill--just signed into law by the President--
containing funding for the Department of Defense, included language 
from the National Security Appropriations Conference Report which 
directed the Air Force to expend the necessary funds for the operation 
and maintenance of a site database to be located at the Pennsylvania 
State University at Harrisburg. The database is to support the former 
Olmsted Air Force Base Superfund site as it transitions from final DOD 
restoration to EPA Superfund deletion to public-private sitewide 
development. That language, from page H11875 of the Congressional 
Record of September 28, 1996, is presented here:


                     former olmsted air force base

       The conferees are pleased that the final restoration by the 
     Air Force of the former Olmsted Air Force Base in 
     Pennsylvania is proceeding smoothly and the Environmental 
     Protection Agency projects a delisting of the base 
     (Middletown Airfield EPA National Priorities List Site) from 
     the NPL by the end of 1996. The conferees feel that following 
     delisting of the site it will be necessary to maintain near 
     the site a comprehensive database which incorporates data 
     from all current and future environmental investigations to 
     provide a comprehensive look at the environmental status of 
     the site for future development or emergency response 
     situations and to maintain institutional controls. Therefore, 
     the conferees recommend that, commencing in fiscal year 1997, 
     the Air Force expend funds necessary (estimated at $123,000 
     over five years) for such a comprehensive site database to be 
     located at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, 
     Pennsylvania.

  I have spoken at length before on the floor of the House of 
Representatives about the need for this site database and the need for 
the Air Force to fulfill its commitment to me, to the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania and to the environmental restoration of the site by fully 
funding the database. The inclusion of language about the site database 
in the conference report clearly shows widespread congressional support 
for this funding and location.
  Even with the congressional directive expressed in the above 
conference language there is, however, a concern about the funding that 
I wish to share with my colleagues. While the conference language 
states that the Air Force must expend the funds necessary over 5 years 
to fund the database, it is not clear that the initial startup costs of 
$72,000 in fiscal year 1997 will be met. From the conference language 
the understanding is implicit, but not explicit, that if the Congress 
directs that the site database be established and funded, full and 
appropriate startup funding needs would be met.
  It is my hope that the Department of Defense, and specifically the 
Air Force, will honor their commitment and the direction of the 
Congress of the United States, and by his signature the President of 
the United States, and fully fund this site database in fiscal year 
1997 so that it can be fully operational by the time the former Olmsted 
Air Force Base is deleted from the EPA Superfund list.

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