[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E158-E159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE ACT

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the 
International Environmental Defense Act of 2003.
  The purpose of this bill is to clarify the authority of the Secretary 
of Defense to respond to environmental emergencies. It is cosponsored 
by my colleagues from Colorado, Representative Joel Hafley. I greatly 
appreciate his support.
  In times of natural disaster or other emergencies, the United States 
for decades has come to the aid of those in need--whether the crisis is 
the result of an earthquake in Turkey, an erupting volcano in South 
America, or deadly floods in some other part of the world.
  When the need arises, the U.S. Government provides humanitarian 
assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the 
State Department, the Defense Department, and other federal agencies. 
It also contracts with private voluntary agencies to provide such 
assistance and coordinates the U.S. response with that of other 
countries.
  The American military has an outstanding record of participation in 
these activities. All Americans take pride in the humanitarian 
assistance provided by the men and women of our armed services.
  I strongly support this policy. It is the right thing to do, and in 
the best interests of our country as well as of people everywhere. 
Humanitarian assistance is critical to help communities or regions or 
whole countries recover from devastating natural or man-made events.
  But global emergencies come in other forms as well--including 
environmental emergencies such as oil or chemical spills or other 
similar occurrences. They may not have the immediate impact on people 
of homes destroyed in an earthquake or of crops lost to drought. But by 
polluting waterways, killing fish or other species, or contaminating 
the air, water, or land, environmental disasters can have devastating 
effects on the health and well-being of people, wildlife, and 
ecosystems.
  So, wherever they occur, environmental emergencies have the potential 
to affect the national interest of the United States. And our 
government--including our military forces--should have the same ability 
to respond as in the case of other emergencies.
  Current law authorizes the Department of Defense to use it funds for 
the transport of humanitarian relief, allowing U.S. military personnel 
to help provide foreign countries with emergency assistance such as 
helicopter transport, temporary water supplies, and road and bridge 
repair. For example, U.S. military personnel were part of the U.S. 
response to Hurricane Mitch in Central America and recent earthquakes 
in El Salvador and India.
  But when it comes to environmental emergencies, under current law the 
military now has less ability to help. Those are the situations that 
are addressed by the bill I am introducing today.
  The International Environmental Defense Act would fill a gap in 
current law so U.S. military transport could be used not only for 
humanitarian, but also for environmental emergencies. The bill does not 
require that this be done--but it would authorize the Defense 
Department to do so, just as current law authorizes but does not 
require the transport of humanitarian assistance to respond to other 
emergencies.
  As an illustration of the limitations of the current law, consider a 
recent case about which I have first-hand knowledge.
  In 2001, there was a very serious oil spill in the Pacific Ocean that 
threatened to contaminate the Galapagos Islands. The government of 
Ecuador and people everywhere were very concerned that this could 
imperil the world-famous wildlife of the islands and the rest of that 
unique ecosystem. They hastened to organize a response.
  As part of that response, the Ecuadoran Government was in contact 
with a company in Colorado that makes a product to absorb oil from sea 
water. But complications arose, and the company contacted my office to 
see if we could help resolve them.
  As we explored the situation, we learned that while the government of 
Ecuador was interested in acquiring the Colorado company's product, 
they also wanted to arrange for the United States to transport it to 
Ecuador by military aircraft, because that would be quicker and cheaper 
than other alternatives. But when we contacted the Defense Department 
to see if there was a possibility that could be arranged, we learned 
about the limitations of current law. In short, we learned that while 
military transport might be possible to provide humanitarian relief, 
that option was not available to respond to an environmental emergency.
  The bill I am introducing today would change that--not by requiring 
the military to provide transport in such a case, but by providing that 
option in case the U.S. Government should decide it would be 
appropriate. Perhaps this would have been useful authority for the 
military to have when the Prestige broke up off the northwest coast of 
Spain in November 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not a far-reaching bill. But I think it would 
provide useful authority for our country to respond to environmental 
problems that, ultimately, can affect us and the rest of the world.

[[Page E159]]

                     PAYING TRIBUTE TO JANET IRVINE

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                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
recognize Janet Irvine of Fruita, Colorado. Through a program called 
Adopt-a-Platoon, Janet has adopted three platoons of our nation's 
soldiers in Afganistan that she corresponds with on a regular basis. 
Today, I would like to pay tribute to Janet's efforts and goodwill 
before this body of Congress and this nation.
  The Adopt-a-Platoon program was first established in 1998 as a way 
for citizens to boost moral and show encouragement for American 
soldiers serving in Bosnia. Today, Adopt-a-Platoon is playing an 
integral role in boosting the morale of over 12,000 soldiers that are 
currently fighting the war on terrorism in Afganistan. Over the past 
year, Janet has become one of the organizations most loyal volunteers, 
mailing countless letters and baking innumerable batches of cookies to 
show her grateful appreciation for our soldiers serving abroad. -
  Although Janet dedicates much of her own personal time and energy 
toward supporting our nation's military, she has also encouraged others 
to assist in her efforts. The Fruita Monument High School's Interact 
Club and the students of Sue Chamberlain's and Marty Hardrick's classes 
at Shelby Elementary have also assisted in the effort, writing scores 
of letters showing their support and appreciation. The significance of 
her efforts have not gone unnoticed by the soldiers she writes to, and 
many have written back to express their personal gratitude.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I recognize Janet 
Irvine before this body of Congress and this nation. Janet's selfless 
support and encouragement of the men and women serving overseas in our 
nation's military is making a very personal contribution to our effort 
to rid the world of terrorism. Her commitment and dedication has served 
as an inspiration to us all, and it is and honor to represent such an 
outstanding American in this Congress. Keep up the good work, Janet.

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