America's Worst Environmental Nightmare: The U.S. Military's Toxic Legacy

The massive environmental problems of the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons laboratories and factories are not featured in this report because they have been well documented elsewhere. See, for example, Deadly Defense: Military Radioactive Landfills, New York: Radioactive Waste Campaign, 1989.

“Federal Liabilities under Hazardous Waste Laws,” Congressional Budget Office, May 1990, p. 19., gives a total of 61 sites.

Cocco Marie , “U.S. Also Expects Bills from Private Dumps,” Newsday, Feb. 6, 1990, p. 31.

Defense Environmental Status Reports, Department of Defense, June 1990, Table 6B.

“Poisons and the Pentagon,” Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, originally broadcast April 5, 1988.

“Poisons and the Pentagon;” DERP Annual Report for FY 1989, p. B-62.

U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Status Reports for 1989, Washington, D.C., June 27, 1990.

Benjamin Goldman telephone interview with Patricia Jansen at DOD, June 25, 1990.

Taken from case studies at four bases. “Water Pollution: Stronger Enforcement Needed to Improve Compliance at Federal Facilities,” GAO/RCED-89-13, December, 1988, pp. 68–70, 72.

Porter Winston J. , Enforcement Actions under RCRA and CERCLA at Federal Facilities, Memorandum, EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Jan. 25, 1988, p. 1.

Richards Bill , “Pollution Loophole Soaks U.S.,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 8, 1990, p. 1. The Post-Intelligencer data probably included wastes generated by non-military production at these firms, particularly GE and GM.

Richards Bill , “Feds Billed for Shipyard Cleanup,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 1, 1990, p. C1.

Overview of DOD Environmental Activities, hearings, Environmental Restoration Panel of the House Armed Services Committee, May 2, 1989, pp. 265–266.

Hazardous Waste Problems at Department of Defense Facilities, hearing, Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources of House Committee on Government Operations, Nov. 5, 1987, p. 91.

In some chemicals, the military's share is much higher; in others, much lower. These figures do not include contractors' consumption, and neither the numerator nor denominator includes chemicals further processed into other commodities, such as plastics. Interindustry Economics Division, U.S. Commerce Department, “The Input-Output Structure of the U.S., Economy, 1977,” and “Annual Input-Output Accounts of the U.S. Economy, 1982,” Survey of Current Business, May 1984 (p. 57) and May, 1989 (p. 39).

“Department of Defense Seeks Alternatives for Ozone Depleting Chemicals,” Press Release No. 541-88, Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), Nov. 2, 1988; Parker William H. III [Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Environment)], “CFCs and Halon Use Reduction within the Department of Defense,” paper presented to the United Nations Environmental Programme seminar on Substitutes and Alternatives to Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons, Oct.20, 1988.

Errera Bob , Harris Corporation, Testimony of the Electronic Industry Association before the House Armed Services Committee Panel on Environmental Restoration, March 6, 1990, p. 6. Methyl chloroform (also known as 1,1,1 trichloroethane) is required not only for electronics production, but for cleaning mechanical components such as jet engine parts. Although by weight methyl chloroform contains much less chlorine than CFC-113 (and thus depletes less ozone), it is released into the atmosphere in far greater quantities.

Broder John , “U.S. Military Leaves Toxic Trail Overseas,” Los Angeles Times, Monday, June 18, 1990, p. A15.

Number and Estimated Cost of Foreign Pollution Abatement Projects by Environmental Media Proposed for All Fiscal Years for All Federal Agencies, and Number and Estimated Cost of Foreign Pollution Abatement Projects within Foreign Facilities by Environmental Media Proposed for All Federal Agencies for All Fiscal Years, custom printout, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Federal Activities, 1990.

Broder John , “U.S. Military Leaves Toxic Trail Overseas,” Los Angeles Times, Monday, June 18, 1990, p. A16.

Berteau David J. , Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Production and Logistics), Statement before the Environmental Restoration Panel, House Armed Services Committee, March 21, 1990, p. 11.