[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 22, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2836-H2837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 AMENDMENT ALLOWS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT FREE HAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, during my tenure in Congress, I have 
worked hard for the Federal Government to be a better partner to 
promote the liveability of our communities by walking the walk, by 
acting the way that we are asking the rest of America to behave. Yet, 
here today, we are going to be asking in the supplemental to exempt the 
Defense Department, the largest manager of infrastructure in the world, 
from being a good environmental citizen.
  This bill contains an amendment that would relieve the Department of 
Defense from its responsibility for dealing with water consumption that 
occurs outside the control of the Secretary of Defense that is a direct 
result of the military installation. In particular, this is focused on 
the San Pedro River in Arizona, one of the richest biological reserves 
in all of North America. It has over 82 species of mammals, 385 species 
of birds, and was designated by this Congress as a National Riparian 
Conservation Area in 1988.
  But as a result of this amendment, snuck in without debate by the 
substantive committee, that will not be substantively argued on this 
floor, we are going to basically give them a free

[[Page H2837]]

hand to damage the environment. It is wrong.

                          ____________________