Pentagon Asks to Shield Military Ranges from Suits

[LiviaOlivia]

April 6, 2004
Pentagon Asks to Shield Military Ranges from Suits
By REUTERS
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-arms-usa-ranges.html
Filed at 7:20 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon asked Congress on Tuesday to help shield the U.S. military from environmental lawsuits which defense officials charged were threatening to close hundreds of live-fire training ranges in the country.

The Defense Department said it wanted approval of "modest clarifcations" in law that would, for example, grant bases three-year exemptions from some provisions of the federal Clean Air Act to allow initial testing of new weapons, such as the planned Joint Strike Fighter.

Individual states would have a right to decide whether to accept an exemption. The exemptions, the Pentagon said, would make it easier to shift training sites for some weapons as the department closes or realigns domestic military bases in the future.

"Past court cases have threatened to close down our military training, and that readiness risk is unacceptable," said Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Readiness Paul Mayberry. He emphasized that training was crucial for the current military involvements in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terrorism.

<snip>

[dfong63]

1. sure, the military should not have their hands tied by having to obey laws

oops.

[DS1]

2. Maybe you'd like to design a tank that gets 30 mpg

:shrug:

[dfong63]

3. and sustains only minor cosmetic damage in low-speed collisions

sure thing.

:shrug:

i guess i just have this quaint notion that no one should be above the law, especially people who have guns, tanks, warplanes, and the power of command.

[teryang]

4. Above the law

What is all the preaching about the rule of law?

[saigon68]

5. There appear to be a lot of Thugs operating with impunity

Yes that's surely it.

[yella_dawg]

6. The exemptions would make it easier to shift training

as the department closes or realigns domestic military bases in the future.


Carrot and Stick

Soft pedal the EPA waiver plan that will provide a weapon to use against states that have lucrative bases.

[teryang]

8. They just don't want to do the clean up n/t

Almost every military base in the country has one lawyer whose job it is to rationalize the environmental violations that are never cleaned up. It would cost tens of billions of dollars.

[KamaAina]

7. We have *hundreds* of live-fire training ranges in the country?

That's odd. Every time people in west O'ahu get uppity about live-fire training in Makua Valley, the Army says, "But we have to train our soldiers somewhere! It's important for troop readiness."

Point taken. But if they have 499 or so alternatives at hand, why would they hold live-fire exercises in a place that:

* holds sites sacred to Native Hawaiians

* is in a semi-arid climate area prone to brush fires (like the one they started a couple of years ago that charred about half the valley)

* is located a couple of miles from a town of 9,000 or so (but there's no way any of those bombs could go astray, now is there? </sarcasm>)

[diamond14]

9. so now, they practice at 'blackwater' and other mercenary-owned

private land...watch out....

pollution from nitrosoamines is carcinogenic....travels through groundwater/surface water and soils....bioaccumulates in fish....nitrosoamines are formed when explosives react with soils...on ALL military firing ranges, and LEAD...

all done at 'blackwater'...private land- outside EPA and states ability to regulate....

call your Congress reps NOW - stop these mercenaries from polluting our childrens soil and water...DEMAND that all mercenaries under Federal pentagoon contracts be FORCED to abide by ALL environmental regulations, AND pay for the inspections and testing required...