United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-09-05 monographic deposited born digital 33 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-96-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172 P0b002ee18038adac f:ns96172 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172 NSIAD-96-172 Base closures Pollution control Environmental monitoring Environmental law Budget obligations Military cost control Future budget projections Hazardous substances Real estate transfers Military bases DOD Base Realignment and Closure Account DOD Base Realignment and Closure Program Defense Environmental Restoration Program DOD Relative Risk Site Evaluation EPA National Priorities List Letter Report NSIAD

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the costs of the Department of Defense's (DOD) environmental cleanup efforts under the base realignment and closure (BRAC) process, focusing on the: (1) reasons that cleanups are so costly; and (2) potential for reducing costs and the impact on program goals.<p/>GAO found that: (1) as of March 1996, DOD allocated about $3.4 billion for the BRAC environmental cleanup program, but available DOD financial data indicate that program costs are likely to exceed $11 billion before cleanup actions are completed; (2) DOD has increased its obligation rate for cleanup funds and, as of September 1995, DOD had obligated 96 percent of its available funds; (3) reasons for high DOD cleanup costs include the large number of contaminated sites, difficulties in determining the extent and severity of site contamination, federal and state legal requirements, the lack of cost-effective technology for certain contaminants, and intended property reuse; (4) DOD has identified over 5,300 potentially contaminated sites; (5) DOD has found the laws governing expedited property transfers to be time-consuming, complex, and costly; (6) options for reducing cleanup costs at BRAC bases include deferring or extending certain cleanup actions, modifying existing laws and regulations, adopting more cost-effective cleanup technologies, and sharing costs with property users; and (7) all of these options could adversely impact program goals and delay property transfers and reuse, hurt the economic revitalization of nearby communities, harm the environment or public health, and increase environmental risk. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172.pdf GAO/NSIAD-96-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-172 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-96-172; Military Base Closures: Reducing High Costs of Environmental Cleanup Requires Difficult Choices; Base closures Pollution control Environmental monitoring Environmental law Budget obligations Military cost control Future budget projections Hazardous substances Real estate transfers Military bases DOD Base Realignment and Closure Account DOD Base Realignment and Closure Program Defense Environmental Restoration Program DOD Relative Risk Site Evaluation EPA National Priorities List Title 7 Section 135 7 U.S.C. 135 Title 10 Section 2687 Title 10 Section 2701 10 U.S.C. 2687 10 U.S.C. 2701 Title 15 Section 2601 15 U.S.C. 2601 Title 16 Section 469 Title 16 Section 668 16 U.S.C. 469 16 U.S.C. 668 Title 33 Section 1251 Title 33 Section 2283 Title 33 Section 2317 33 U.S.C. 1251 33 U.S.C. 2283 33 U.S.C. 2317 Title 42 Section 1996 Title 42 Section 6901 Title 42 Section 7418 Title 42 Section 9620 42 U.S.C. 1996 42 U.S.C. 6901 42 U.S.C. 7418 42 U.S.C. 9620 Volume 102 Page 2623 102 Stat. 2623 Volume 104 Page 1808 104 Stat. 1808 Public Law 100-526 Public Law 101-510 Public Law 103-160 Public Law 104-106