Military Munitions
DOD Needs to Develop a Comprehensive Approach for Cleaning Up Contaminated Sites
Gao ID: GAO-04-147 December 19, 2003
Over 15 million acres in the United States are suspected of being, or known to be, contaminated with military munitions. These sites include ranges on closing military installations, closed ranges on active installations, and formerly used defense sites. Under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program, established in 1986, the Department of Defense (DOD) must identify, assess, and clean up military munitions contamination at these sites. DOD estimates these activities will cost from $8 billion to $35 billion. Because of the magnitude of DOD's cleanup effort, both in terms of cost and affected acreage, as well as the significant public safety, health, and environmental risks that military munitions may pose, The Ranking Minority Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked us to evaluate (1) DOD's progress in implementing its program to identify, assess, and clean up military munitions sites and (2) DOD's plans to clean up remaining sites in the future.
DOD has made limited progress in its program to identify, assess, and clean up sites that may be contaminated with military munitions. While DOD had identified 2,307 potentially contaminated sites as of September 2002, DOD officials said that they continue to identify additional sites and are not likely to have a firm inventory for several years. Of the identified sites, DOD had initially determined that 362 sites required no further study or cleanup action because it found little or no evidence of military munitions. For 1,387 sites, DOD either has not begun or not completed its initial evaluation or determined that further study is needed. DOD has completed its assessment of 558 sites, finding that 475 of these required no cleanup action. The remaining 83 sites required some cleanup action, of which DOD has completed 23. DOD does not yet have a complete and viable plan for cleaning up military munitions at remaining potentially contaminated sites. DOD's plan is lacking in several respects. Essential data for DOD's plan may take years to develop. Not all the potential sites have been identified, and DOD has set no deadline for doing so. Also, DOD intends to use a new procedure to assign a relative priority for the remaining 1,387 sites, but it will not complete the reassessments until 2012. Until these are done, DOD cannot be assured that it is using its limited resources to clean up the riskiest sites first. DOD's plan relies on preliminary cost estimates that can change greatly and the reallocation of funds that may not be available. For example, the Air Force used estimated, not actual, acreage to create its cost estimates, limiting the estimate's reliability and DOD's ability to plan and budget cleanup for these sites. Also, DOD expects additional funds will become available for munitions cleanup as other DOD hazardous waste cleanup efforts are completed. However, some of these efforts are behind schedule; therefore, funds may not become available as anticipated. DOD's plan does not contain goals or measures for site assessment and cleanup. DOD recently established a working group tasked with developing agencywide program goals and performance measures, but not service-specific targets, limiting DOD's ability to ensure that the services are making progress in cleaning the potentially contaminated sites and achieving the overall goals of the program as planned.
Recommendations
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GAO-04-147, Military Munitions: DOD Needs to Develop a Comprehensive Approach for Cleaning Up Contaminated Sites
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Report to the Honorable John D. Dingell:
Ranking Minority Member,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
House of Representatives:
December 2003:
MILITARY MUNITIONS:
DOD Needs to Develop a Comprehensive Approach for Cleaning Up
Contaminated Sites:
[Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-147] GAO-04-147:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-04-147, a report to the Honorable John D. Dingell,
Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of
Representatives
Why GAO Did This Study:
Over 15 million acres in the United States are suspected of being, or
known to be, contaminated with military munitions. These sites include
ranges on closing military installations, closed ranges on active
installations, and formerly used defense sites. Under the Defense
Environmental Restoration Program, established in 1986, the Department
of Defense (DOD) must identify, assess, and clean up military
munitions contamination at these sites. DOD estimates these activities
will cost from $8 billion to $35 billion. Because of the magnitude of
DOD‘s cleanup effort, both in terms of cost and affected acreage, as
well as the significant public safety, health, and environmental risks
that military munitions may pose, you asked us to evaluate (1) DOD‘s
progress in implementing its program to identify, assess, and clean up
military munitions sites and (2) DOD‘s plans to clean up remaining
sites in the future.
What GAO Found:
DOD has made limited progress in its program to identify, assess, and
clean up sites that may be contaminated with military munitions. While
DOD had identified 2,307 potentially contaminated sites as of
September 2002, DOD officials said that they continue to identify
additional sites and are not likely to have a firm inventory for
several years. Of the identified sites, DOD had initially determined
that 362 sites required no further study or cleanup action because it
found little or no evidence of military munitions. For 1,387 sites,
DOD either has not begun or not completed its initial evaluation or
determined that further study is needed. DOD has completed its
assessment of 558 sites, finding that 475 of these required no cleanup
action. The remaining 83 sites required some cleanup action, of which
DOD has completed 23.
DOD does not yet have a complete and viable plan for cleaning up
military munitions at remaining potentially contaminated sites. DOD‘s
plan is lacking in several respects, including the following:
* Essential data for DOD‘s plan may take years to develop. Not all the
potential sites have been identified, and DOD has set no deadline for
doing so. Also, DOD intends to use a new procedure to assign a
relative priority for the remaining 1,387 sites, but it will not
complete the reassessments until 2012. Until these are done, DOD
cannot be assured that it is using its limited resources to clean up
the riskiest sites first.
* DOD‘s plan relies on preliminary cost estimates that can change
greatly and the reallocation of funds that may not be available. For
example, the Air Force used estimated, not actual, acreage to create
its cost estimates, limiting the estimate‘s reliability and DOD‘s
ability to plan and budget cleanup for these sites. Also, DOD expects
additional funds will become available for munitions cleanup as other
DOD hazardous waste cleanup efforts are completed. However, some of
these efforts are behind schedule; therefore, funds may not become
available as anticipated.
* DOD‘s plan does not contain goals or measures for site assessment
and cleanup. DOD recently established a working group tasked with
developing agencywide program goals and performance measures, but not
service-specific targets, limiting DOD‘s ability to ensure that the
services are making progress in cleaning the potentially contaminated
sites and achieving the overall goals of the program as planned.
What GAO Recommends:
We are recommending that DOD develop a comprehensive approach by
revising its plan to (1) establish deadlines for completing its site
inventory and initial evaluations, (2) reassess the timetable proposed
for completing its risk assessment reevaluations, and (3) establish
service-specific targets. We are also recommending that after DOD
revises its plan, it should work with the Congress to develop budget
proposals that will allow timely completion of cleanup activities.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-147.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click
on the link above. For more information, contact Anu K. Mittal at
(202) 512-3841 or mittala@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
DOD Has Made Limited Progress in Its Program to Identify, Assess, and
Clean Up Potentially Contaminated Sites:
DOD Does Not Have a Complete and Viable Plan for Assessing and Cleaning
Up Potentially Contaminated Sites:
Conclusions:
Recommendations:
Agency Comments:
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Safety, Environmental, and Human Health Risks :
Appendix II: Additional Details on Our Scope and Methodology:
Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Defense:
Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contacts:
Acknowledgments:
Tables:
Table 1: Distribution of Military Munitions Response Program Sites by
Service:
Table 2: Munitions Constituents of Greatest Concern:
Table 3: Potential Effects of the Munitions Constituents Closely
Associated with Military Munitions:
Table 4: Districts Visited during Review:
Figures:
Figure 1: Distribution of 2,307 Suspected Military Munitions Response
Program Sites Identified by DOD:
Figure 2: Military Munitions Response Program Site Inventory (2,307
Sites):
Figure 3: Military Munitions Response Program Sites Requiring Further
Action:
Figure 4: Examples of Cleanup Actions at Military Munitions Response
Program Sites:
Abbreviations:
DOD: Department of Defense:
Corps: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980:
Letter December 19, 2003:
The Honorable John D. Dingell:
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Energy and Commerce:
House of Representatives:
Dear Mr. Dingell:
Over 15 million acres in the United States are known to be or are
suspected of being contaminated with military munitions, which include
unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and munitions
constituents such as propellants or other chemicals.[Footnote 1] These
sites, which are no longer in use, include closed ranges on active
installations, ranges on military installations that are being closed
(closing sites), and formerly used defense sites.[Footnote 2] Much of
the land on which these sites are located has been or will be converted
to nonmilitary uses such as farming, residential or commercial
development, and recreation. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates
that identifying, assessing, and cleaning up contamination from
military munitions at such sites will cost from $8 billion to $35
billion and could take more than 75 years. Within DOD, cleanup of sites
on active or closing installations is the responsibility of the
military service--Air Force, Army, Navy, or Marine Corps--that
currently owns the land. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is
responsible for executing the cleanup of formerly used defense sites.
Military munitions can pose risks to public safety, human health, and
the environment. Unexploded ordnance poses a potential explosive hazard
and risk of personal injury to those who encounter it. The
Environmental Protection Agency, in September 2001, using a DOD
database and other sources, identified at least 126 incidents involving
civilians who were
exposed to unexploded ordnance over the past 83 years, which resulted
in 65 fatalities and 131 injuries.[Footnote 3] The risk of such
exposures is expected to grow with an increase in development and
recreational activities on land once used by the military for munitions
related activities (e.g., live fire testing and training). In addition,
human exposure to munitions constituents such as trinitrotoluene (TNT)
and perchlorate may cause long-term health problems, such as cancer and
damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys. However, the link between such
constituents and any potential health effects is not always clear and
continues to be studied. (See app. I for a list of common munitions
constituents and potential health effects.) Military munitions may also
pose an environmental risk because their use and disposal may release
constituents that could contaminate soil, groundwater, and surface
water. Former ranges on which munitions-related activities were
conducted and which are known or suspected to contain military
munitions are in a variety of locations, including near ecologically
sensitive wetlands, surface waters, and floodplains. While many
constituents have been an environmental concern to DOD for more than 20
years, the current understanding of the causes, distribution, and
potential impact of constituent releases into the environment remains
limited. The nature of these impacts, and whether they pose an
unacceptable risk to human health and the environment, depend upon the
dose, duration, and pathway of exposure, as well as the sensitivity of
the exposed populations. Until recently, DOD has focused primarily on
mitigating the public safety risk associated with unexploded ordnance,
but it is now giving additional attention to environmental and health
concerns posed by munitions constituents.
Under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program, established in
1986, DOD is required to identify, investigate, and clean up
environmental contamination and other hazards at active and closing
installations, as well as at formerly used defense sites.[Footnote 4]
The program is organized into three categories that focus on DOD's
primary goals: (1) identification and cleanup of contamination from
hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants; (2) demolition and
removal of unsafe buildings and structures; and (3) correction of other
environmental damage, such as detection and disposal of military
munitions. Most of DOD's past focus had been on identifying and
cleaning up contamination from hazardous substances. To better focus
DOD's efforts on identifying, assessing, and cleaning up sites
containing military munitions, DOD established the Military Munitions
Response program in September 2001. Subsequently, in December 2001, the
Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2002, which among other things, required DOD to develop an initial
inventory of sites that are known or suspected to contain military
munitions and a comprehensive plan for cleaning up these sites. Of the
$1.9 billion budgeted by DOD for environmental cleanup in fiscal year
2002, approximately $113 million was designated for sites with military
munitions. In fiscal years 2003 and 2004, DOD designated approximately
$115 million and $89 million, respectively, for sites with military
munitions.
In deciding what actions, if any, are needed to clean up a site
identified as potentially contaminated with military munitions, DOD
generally follows the process established for cleanup actions under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
of 1980 (CERCLA). CERCLA, as amended, governs the cleanup of hazardous
waste sites, including contamination on military installations. After
identifying a potential military munitions site, the appropriate DOD
military service or the Corps performs a preliminary assessment, during
which DOD determines if military munitions may be present and if
further study or cleanup action is needed. If necessary, DOD may
conduct a site investigation to better identify the types and extent of
potential hazards present. For specific areas suspected to contain
military munitions, DOD surveys the land and evaluates and selects
alternatives, in consultation with stakeholders, for addressing the
potential hazards. These cleanup alternatives could include removing
the military munitions, limiting public contact with the site through
signs and fences, or determining that no further action with regard to
the site is warranted. After implementing the chosen cleanup
alternative, DOD periodically monitors the site and reviews the
alternative chosen to ensure its continued effectiveness.
Because of the magnitude of DOD's cleanup effort, both in terms of cost
and affected acreage, as well as the significant public safety, human
health, and environmental risks posed by military munitions, you asked
us to evaluate (1) DOD's progress in implementing its program to
identify, assess, and clean up sites containing military munitions and
(2) DOD's plans to clean up remaining sites in the future.
To evaluate DOD's progress in identifying, assessing, and cleaning up
military munitions, we reviewed and analyzed DOD's database for sites
identified under the Military Munitions Response program as of
September 30, 2002, the end of their most recent reporting cycle. We
assessed the reliability of relevant fields in this database by
electronically testing for obvious errors in accuracy and completeness,
reviewing information about the data and the system that produced them,
and interviewing agency officials knowledgeable about the data. When we
found inconsistencies, we worked with DOD and military service
officials to correct the discrepancies before conducting our analyses.
We determined that the data needed for our analyses were sufficiently
reliable for the purposes of our report. We also reviewed project files
from 38 of the 75 sites where, according to DOD's database, cleanup
action is either complete or under way.[Footnote 5] These files
represented 52 percent of the 23 sites with a completed cleanup action
and 50 percent of the 52 sites with a cleanup action under way. We used
our file reviews to develop case examples of changes in estimated costs
to complete cleanup over time and cleanup actions taken. These case
examples are for illustration only. We conducted our work between
November 2002 and October 2003 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards. More detail on the scope and methodology
of our review is presented in appendix II.
Results in Brief:
DOD has made limited progress in its program to identify, assess, and
clean up sites that may be contaminated with military munitions. While
DOD had identified 2,307 potentially contaminated sites as of September
2002, DOD officials said that the department is continuing to identify
additional sites and is not likely to have a firm inventory for several
years. For example, the Army had only surveyed and identified closed
ranges on 14 percent of its active installations. Of the total 2,307
identified sites, DOD had initially determined that 362 sites required
no further study or cleanup action because there was little or no
evidence of military munitions. However, because these sites are
formerly used defense sites, and the initial evaluations conducted were
less comprehensive than for other sites in the program, the Corps has
recently decided that some of these sites need to be reassessed to
determine if cleanup is needed. For 1,387 sites, DOD either has not
begun or not completed its initial evaluation or has determined that
further study is needed. DOD has completed its assessment of 558 sites,
finding that 475 sites required no cleanup action. The remaining 83
sites required some cleanup action, of which DOD has completed 23.
DOD does not yet have a complete and viable plan for guiding its
remaining clean up activity at potentially contaminated sites. DOD's
plan is lacking in several respects, including the following:
* Essential data for DOD's plan may take years to develop. For example,
not all the potential sites have been identified, and DOD has set no
deadline for doing so. Because the inventory serves as the basis for
other elements of the plan, such as budget development, the sites must
first be identified before DOD can have a reasonable picture of the
magnitude of the challenge ahead and plan accordingly. Furthermore, DOD
intends to use new procedures to reassess the relative risk for the
1,387 sites needing further study, but DOD is not scheduled to complete
these reassessments until 2012. The resulting relative risk assessments
will be a key component in determining cleanup priorities. Until the
assessments are complete, DOD cannot be assured that it is using its
limited resources to clean up those sites that pose the greatest risk
to public safety, human health, and the environment.
* DOD's plan relies on preliminary cost estimates that may change
significantly and reallocated funds from other programs that may not be
available as anticipated. For example, at Camp Maxey, Texas, the
estimated cost for cleanup in 2000 was $45 million. However, in DOD's
Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Environmental Restoration Program Annual
Report to Congress, the estimated cleanup cost had grown to $130
million. A June 2003 cost estimate showed a decrease in total costs to
$73 million. Furthermore, DOD expects that as other DOD hazardous
substance cleanup efforts are completed, increased funds will become
available for munitions cleanup. However, not all of these other DOD
cleanup efforts are on schedule. For example, between fiscal years 2001
and 2002, the schedule to complete hazardous, toxic, and radioactive
waste cleanup at formerly used defense sites had slipped by more than 6
years. As a result, anticipated funds from completing cleanups at these
sites may not become available until 2021 or later.
* DOD's plan does not yet contain goals or measures for site assessment
and cleanup. In September 2003, 2 years after the establishment of the
Military Munitions Response program, DOD established a working group
tasked with developing agencywide program goals and performance
measures. However, the working group is not expected to establish
service-specific targets, therefore DOD will have limited assurance
that the services and the Corps are (1) making progress in cleaning
their Military Munitions Response program sites and (2) are
contributing to achieving the overall goals of the program as planned.
We are recommending that DOD revise its plan to (1) establish deadlines
for completing its site inventory and initial evaluations; (2) reassess
the timetable proposed for completing its reevaluation of sites, using
the new risk assessment procedures; and (3) establish interim goals
based on criteria, such as relative risk levels or cleanup phases, for
the services and the Corps to target. We are also recommending that
after DOD revises its comprehensive plan, it should work with the
Congress to develop realistic budget proposals that will allow DOD to
complete cleanup activities in a timely manner.
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with our
recommendation to work with the Congress to develop realistic budget
proposals that will allow DOD to complete cleanup activities on
potentially contaminated sites in a timely manner. In addition, DOD
partially concurred with our recommendations to (1) establish deadlines
to complete the identification process and initial evaluations; (2)
reassess the timetable proposed for completing the reevaluation of
sites, using the new risk assessment procedure; and (3) establish
interim goals for cleanup phases for the services and the Corps to
target. DOD also suggested some technical changes throughout the report
that we have incorporated as appropriate. DOD's comments appear in
appendix III.
Background:
To better focus its munitions cleanup activities under the Defense
Environmental Restoration Program, DOD established the Military
Munitions Response program in September 2001. The objectives of the
program include compiling a comprehensive inventory of military
munitions sites, developing a prioritization protocol for sequencing
work at these sites, and establishing program goals and performance
measures to evaluate progress. In December 2001, shortly after DOD
established the program, the Congress passed the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002, which among other things,
required DOD to develop an initial inventory of sites that are known or
suspected to contain military munitions by May 31, 2003, and to provide
annual updates thereafter. DOD
provides these updates as part of its Defense Environmental Restoration
Program Annual Report to Congress.[Footnote 6]
To clean up potentially contaminated sites, DOD generally follows the
process established for cleanup actions under CERCLA, which includes
the following phases and activities:
* Preliminary Assessment--Determine whether a potential military
munitions hazard is present and whether further action is needed.
* Site Investigation--Inspect the site and search historical records to
confirm the presence, extent, and source(s) of hazards.
* Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study or Engineering Evaluation/
Cost Analysis--Determine the nature and extent of contamination;
determine whether cleanup action is needed and, if so, select
alternative cleanup approaches. These could include removing the
military munitions, limiting public contact with the site through signs
and fences, or determining that no further action is warranted.
* Remedial Design/Remedial Action--Design the remedy and perform the
cleanup or other response.
* Long-Term Monitoring--Periodically review the remedy in place to
ensure its continued effectiveness, including checking for unexploded
ordnance and public education.
For sites thought to be formerly used defense sites, the Corps also
performs an initial evaluation prior to the process above. In this
initial evaluation, called a preliminary assessment of eligibility, the
Corps determines if the property is a formerly used defense site. The
Corps makes this determination based on whether there are records
showing that DOD formerly owned, leased, possessed, operated, or
otherwise controlled the property and whether hazards from DOD's use
are potentially present. If eligible, the site then follows the CERCLA
assessment and cleanup process discussed earlier. When all of these
steps have been completed for a given site and long-term monitoring is
under way, or it has been determined that no cleanup action is needed,
the services and the Corps consider the site to be "response
complete.":
DOD Has Made Limited Progress in Its Program to Identify, Assess, and
Clean Up Potentially Contaminated Sites:
While DOD has identified 2,307 potentially contaminated sites as of
September 2002, the department continues to identify additional sites,
and it is not likely to have a firm inventory for several years (see
table 1 for the distribution of these sites by service). Of the
identified sites, DOD determined that 362 sites require no further
study or cleanup action because it found little or no evidence of
military munitions. For 1,387 sites, DOD either has not begun or not
completed its initial evaluation, or has determined that further study
is needed. DOD has completed an assessment of 558 sites, finding that
475 of these required no cleanup action. The remaining 83 sites require
some cleanup action, of which DOD has completed 23.
Table 1: Distribution of Military Munitions Response Program Sites by
Service:
Responsible service: Army;
Closed ranges: on active installations: 105;
Closing ranges on base: realignment: and closure installations[A]: 58;
Formerly used defense sites: N/A;
Total: 163.
Responsible service: Navy;
Closed ranges: on active installations: 196;
Closing ranges on base: realignment: and closure installations[A]: 16;
Formerly used defense sites: N/A;
Total: 212.
Responsible service: Air Force;
Closed ranges: on active installations: 241;
Closing ranges on base: realignment: and closure installations[A]: 0;
Formerly used defense sites: N/A;
Total: 241.
Responsible service: Army Corps of Engineers;
Closed ranges: on active installations: N/A;
Closing ranges on base: realignment: and closure installations[A]: N/A;
Formerly used defense sites: 1,691;
Total: 1,691.
Responsible service: Total;
Closed ranges: on active installations: 542;
Closing ranges on base: realignment: and closure installations[A]: 74;
Formerly used defense sites: 1,691;
Total: 2,307.
Source: DOD.
[A] The base realignment and closure program is a DOD program governing
the scheduled closing of DOD sites and includes a focus on compliance
and cleanup efforts at military installations undergoing closure or
realignment.
[End of table]
DOD had identified 2,307 sites potentially contaminated with military
munitions, as of September 30, 2002, and it continues to identify
additional sites. (Fig. 1 shows the distribution of these sites by
state.) DOD officials acknowledge that they will not have a firm
inventory for several years. For example, as of September 30, 2002, the
Army had not completed a detailed inventory of closed ranges at 86
percent of active installations; the 105 sites identified by the Army
represented sites on only 14 percent of the Army's installations. The
Army is working to identify sites on the remaining installations and
plans to have 40 percent of its installations accounted for by the next
Defense Environmental Restoration Program Annual Report to Congress in
spring 2004. Similarly, the Corps recently identified 75 additional
sites to be included in the inventory as a result of its effort to
reevaluate sites previously determined not to need further action after
the initial evaluation. Because not all of the sites have been
identified, DOD has only a preliminary idea of the extent of cleanup
that will be needed. To help complete the identification process, DOD
has developed a Web site that stakeholders, such as states, tribes, and
federal regulators, can use to suggest additions and revisions to the
inventory. DOD plans to update the inventory in its future Defense
Environmental Response Program Annual Report to Congress using, in
part, the information collected from this Web site.
Figure 1: Distribution of 2,307 Suspected Military Munitions Response
Program Sites Identified by DOD:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Of the 2,307 sites identified, DOD has determined, based on an initial
evaluation, that 362 do not require any further DOD action (see fig.
2). However, these 362 sites are formerly used defense sites, and the
Corps' evaluation of these sites was less comprehensive than other
evaluations conducted by DOD under the CERCLA process.[Footnote 7] In
making its determinations, the Corps conducted a preliminary assessment
of eligibility and determined that the potential for military munitions
hazard was not present. As a result of this determination, the sites
were not evaluated further. The Corps is in the process of reviewing
these determinations with local stakeholders to ensure that there was a
sound basis for the original determination. It has recently decided
that some of these sites need to be reassessed to determine if cleanup
is needed.
Figure 2: Military Munitions Response Program Site Inventory (2,307
Sites):
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Of the 1,945 sites that required further action, DOD has either not
begun or has not completed its study, or has determined that further
study is needed, for 1,387 sites (see fig. 3). For example, 241 Air
Force and 105 Army sites at closed ranges on active installations have
not been evaluated. For other sites, primarily formerly used defense
sites, DOD has completed its initial evaluation and determined that
further investigation is needed.
Figure 3: Military Munitions Response Program Sites Requiring Further
Action:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
DOD has completed its assessment of 558 sites, nearly all of which are
ranges on formerly used defense sites or closing installations, and
determined that no cleanup action was needed for 475; the remaining 83
sites required some level of cleanup action. Of the 83 sites that
required cleanup action, 60 have cleanup action planned or under way
and 23 are complete. Actions taken at these 23 sites have been varied
and include surface and subsurface removal of munitions, and
institutional controls, such as the posting of warning signs or
educational programs. See figure 4 for examples of cleanup actions at
Military Munitions Response program sites.
Figure 4: Examples of Cleanup Actions at Military Munitions Response
Program Sites:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
DOD Does Not Have a Complete and Viable Plan for Assessing and Cleaning
Up Potentially Contaminated Sites:
In DOD's Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Environmental Restoration Program
Annual Report to Congress, DOD identified several elements integral to
the success of the Military Munitions Response program: compiling a
comprehensive inventory of sites; developing a new procedure to assess
risk and prioritize sites; ensuring proper funding for accurate
planning and program execution; and establishing program goals and
performance measures. While DOD has established the basic framework to
address these elements, DOD's plan is lacking in three key respects.
First, essential data for DOD's plan may take years to develop. Second,
DOD's plan is contingent upon preliminary cost estimates that may
change significantly and a reallocation of funds that may not be
available. Finally, DOD's plan lacks specific goals and performance
measures to track progress.
Essential Data for DOD's Plan May Take Years to Develop:
DOD's inventory of potentially contaminated sites serves as the basis
for other elements of its plan, yet this inventory is incomplete. DOD's
inventory of 2,307 sites includes only those identified through
September 30, 2002. As previously discussed, according to DOD
officials, this inventory is not final; and DOD has not set a deadline
to complete it. According to DOD, most of the ranges on formerly used
defense sites and on military installations that are being closed have
been identified and are being assessed or cleanup action is under way.
The ranges yet to be identified are primarily located on active
installations. For example, the Army, as of September 30, 2002, had
completed a detailed inventory of potentially contaminated sites on
only 14 percent of its active installations. Because the inventory
serves as the basis for other elements of the plan, such as budget
development and establishing program goals, most sites must first be
identified in order for DOD to have a reasonable picture of the
magnitude of the challenge ahead and to plan accordingly.
Furthermore, DOD intends to use a new procedure to reassess the
relative risk and priority for 1,387 sites needing further study and
any new sites identified as part of the continuing inventory effort,
but DOD is not scheduled to complete these reassessments until 2012.
DOD recently developed this procedure for assigning each site in the
inventory a priority level for cleanup action, based on the potential
risk of exposure resulting from past munitions-related
activities.[Footnote 8] Under this procedure, DOD plans to reevaluate
the 1,387 sites for three potential hazard types: (1) explosive hazards
posed by unexploded ordnance and discarded military munitions, (2)
hazards associated with the effects of chemical warfare material, and
(3) chronic health and environmental hazards posed by munitions
constituents. Once assessed, each site's relative risk-based priority
will be the primary factor determining future cleanup order.[Footnote
9] DOD plans to require assessment of each site on the inventory for at
least one of these hazard types by May 31, 2007, and for all three
hazard types by May 31, 2012. Until all three hazard types are fully
assessed, DOD cannot be assured that it is using its limited resources
to clean up those sites that pose the greatest risk to safety, human
health, and the environment.
DOD's Plan Relies on Preliminary Cost Estimates That Can Change
Significantly and a Reallocation of Funds That May Not Be Available:
DOD's plan to identify and address military munitions sites relies on
preliminary cost estimates that were developed using incomplete
information. The majority of the site estimates were developed using a
cost-estimating tool that incorporates variables, such as the affected
acreage; types, quantity, and location of munitions; and future land
use. These variables can have a significant impact on cost, according
to DOD. However, detailed site-specific information was not available
for all sites. For example, as mentioned earlier, 105 Army and 241 Air
Force sites at closed ranges on active installations have not had an
initial evaluation. As a result, the Air Force used estimated, not
actual, acreage figures, including assumptions regarding the amount of
acreage known or suspected of containing military munitions when
preparing its cost estimates. Because changes in acreage can greatly
impact the final cost of site assessment and cleanup action, the
estimates produced for these sites are likely to change when estimates
based on more complete data or the actual cost figures are known. The
following examples illustrate how cost estimates can change during the
life of the cleanup as better information becomes available:
* Camp Maxey was a 41,128-acre Army post in Texas used from 1942 to
1945 for training infantry in live fire of weapons including pistols,
rifles, machine guns, mortars, bazookas, and antitank guns. The Corps
confirmed the presence of unexploded ordnance, and in 2000, estimated
the cleanup cost for the land at $45 million. In DOD's Fiscal Year 2002
Defense Environmental Restoration Program Annual Report to Congress,
the estimated total cost of cleanup had grown to $130 million. A June
2003 cost estimate showed a decrease in total cost to about $73
million, but still 62 percent more than the original cost estimate in
2000. The main factors behind these shifting cost estimates, according
to the project manager, were changes in the acreage requiring
underground removal of ordnance and changes in the amount of ordnance
found.
* Fort McClellan, Alabama, was among the installations recommended for
closure under DOD's base realignment and closure effort in 1995. This
site had been used since the Spanish American War (1898), including as
a World War I and II training range upon which grenades, mortars, and
antiaircraft guns, were used. An April 2002 cost estimate prepared for
one site on Fort McClellan requiring cleanup showed the anticipated
cost of clearing the land of munitions as $11,390,250. A subsequent
cost estimate prepared in May 2003, showed the cost of clearing this
site at $22,562,200. According to the Army, the increase in estimated
costs reflects a change in the final acreage recommended for clearance
and the extent to which buried munitions would be searched for and
removed.
Moreover, until DOD and stakeholders agree upon a cleanup action, it is
often difficult for them to predict the extent of the cleanup action
required and cost estimates can change because of the cleanup action
implemented at the site. For example, at the former Indian Rocks Range
in Pinellas County, Florida, the Corps identified 178 acres that were
used as an air-to-ground and antiaircraft gunnery range impact area
from 1943 to 1947. Munitions used on this shoreline site included
bullets, aircraft rockets, and small practice bombs. Much of the land
had been developed, limiting the Corps ability to pursue the
alternative of searching for and removing buried munitions. In 1995,
the Corps analyzed a number of alternatives to address munitions
contamination at the site and developed cost estimates for these
alternatives. However, because the development was largely composed of
hotels, condominiums, and single-family residences, the Corps chose the
alternative of conducting a community education program. The total cost
of this alternative was $21,219. If the Corps had decided to search for
and remove the remaining munitions at this site, the cost could have
approached $3 million, according to the prepared cost analysis.
Furthermore, at an annual funding level of approximately $106 million
(the average amount budgeted or spent annually from fiscal year 2002 to
fiscal year 2004), cleanup at the remaining munitions sites in DOD's
current inventory could take from 75 to 330 years to complete.[Footnote
10] To reduce this timeline, DOD expects to use funds currently
designated for hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste cleanup after
these cleanups are complete. However, these other cleanup efforts are
not on schedule in all of the services and the Corps. For example,
between fiscal years 2001 and 2002, the schedule to complete hazardous
substance cleanups at formerly used defense sites slipped by more than
6 years. As a result, anticipated funds from completing hazardous
substance cleanups at these sites may not become available to clean up
munitions sites until 2021 or later. This delay is significant because,
as of September 30, 2002, formerly used defense sites account for over
85 percent of DOD's total anticipated costs to complete munitions
cleanup, yet the Corps receives about 66 percent of the total munitions
cleanup funds. Delays in the availability of anticipated funding from
hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste sites could greatly impair
DOD's ability to accurately plan for and make progress in cleaning up
Military Munitions Response sites.
DOD's Plan Does Not Contain Goals or Measures for Site Assessment and
Cleanup:
DOD has yet to establish specific program goals and performance
measures in its plan. Specifically, DOD has yet to identify interim
milestones and service-specific targets that will help it achieve
overall program objectives. In September 2003, 2 years after the
Military Munitions Response program was initiated, DOD established a
workgroup tasked with recommending overall goals and measures for the
program, near-term goals and measures to support its budgeting cycle
for fiscal years 2006 to 2011, and a program completion date goal. DOD
has asked the workgroup to accomplish these objectives by the end of
calendar year 2003. According to DOD, these goals and measures, when
developed, should help DOD track the progress of sites through the
cleanup phases, and ensure that DOD responds to the sites with the
greatest risk first. While it is important for DOD to establish goals
and measures that will track overall program progress and ensure that
the riskiest sites are assessed and cleaned up first, DOD will not have
the information it needs to do this until 2012. As we discussed
earlier, because DOD plans to reassess potentially contaminated sites
using a new risk-based prioritization procedure, until these
reassessments are complete, DOD will not have complete information on
which of the sites pose the greatest risk. Consequently, goals and
measures established in 2003 will be of limited use and may not reflect
DOD's true priorities.
Moreover, according to DOD, the program goals and measures to be
established by the workgroup will be agencywide, and not service-
specific, although it may establish interim goals for the services and
Corps. However, DOD has not yet decided what these goals will be based
on, such as relative risk levels or cleanup phases. In the absence of
service-specific goals, each service has implemented the program with a
different level of effort. For example, the Air Force has not budgeted
any funds to assess and clean up munitions sites, nor do they plan to
do so through fiscal year 2004. As mentioned before, the Air Force also
has not conducted initial evaluations on any of its 241 sites and has
little site-specific information from which to create a reliable cost
estimate. In contrast, the Army has undertaken a comprehensive
inventory of ranges that will result in detailed site information, such
as acreage and the types, quantity, and location of munitions, that can
be used to, among other things, create more robust cost estimates. The
Army has completed this comprehensive inventory on 14 percent of its
installations as of September 2002, and has set a goal to complete this
effort by December 2003. This uneven effort in implementing the
Military Munitions Response program could continue through various
program phases, such as preliminary assessments and site
investigations, making it difficult for DOD to assure that each of the
services and the Corps are making progress in cleaning up their
potentially contaminated sites and achieving the overall goals of the
program.
Conclusions:
DOD has made limited progress in identifying, assessing, and cleaning
up sites known or suspected to contain military munitions.
Accomplishing this long and arduous task in a timely manner that best
protects public safety, human health, and the environment will require
a comprehensive approach that includes effective planning and
budgeting. However, DOD lacks the data needed--such as a complete
inventory, up-to-date prioritization, and reliable cost estimates--to
establish a comprehensive approach. Without such an approach for
identifying, assessing, and cleaning up potentially contaminated sites,
DOD will be hampered in its efforts to achieve the program's
objectives.
Recommendations:
To ensure that DOD has a comprehensive approach for identifying,
assessing, and cleaning up military munitions at potentially
contaminated sites, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense revise
DOD's plan to:
* establish deadlines to complete the identification process and
initial evaluations so that it knows the universe of sites that needs
to be assessed, prioritized, and cleaned up;
* reassess the timetable proposed for completing its reevaluation of
sites using the new risk assessment procedures so that it can more
timely establish the order in which sites should be assessed and
cleaned up, thereby focusing on the riskiest sites first; and:
* establish interim goals for cleanup phases for the services and Corps
to target.
In addition, after DOD has revised its comprehensive plan, we recommend
that it work with the Congress to develop realistic budget proposals
that will allow DOD to complete cleanup activities on potentially
contaminated sites in a timely manner.
Agency Comments:
We provided DOD with a draft of this report for review and comment. In
its comments, DOD concurred with our recommendation to work with the
Congress to develop realistic budget proposals that will allow it to
complete cleanup activities on potentially contaminated sites in a
timely manner. DOD partially concurred with our recommendation to
establish deadlines to complete the identification process and initial
evaluations so that it knows the universe of sites. DOD stated that the
military services and the Corps have been working, and will continue to
work, with stakeholders to identify additional sites and add these
sites to the inventory as appropriate. DOD also stated that it believes
most of the remaining sites to be identified are located on active
installations still under DOD control. While we have clarified this
point in the report, we note that the number of formerly used defense
sites identified has increased by about 75 sites since the current
inventory was completed and an unknown but possibly significant number
of sites may be added as the Army completes identification of sites on
86 percent of its installations. These sites and many others still need
to undergo initial evaluations. Consequently, we continue to believe
that it is important for DOD to establish deadlines to complete the
identification and initial evaluations for all of the sites in its
inventory in order to establish a reasonable approximation of the
future workload it faces.
DOD also partially concurred with our recommendation to reassess the
timetable proposed for completing the reevaluation of sites using the
new risk assessment procedure. DOD stated that the military services
and the Corps would need sufficient time and resources to complete each
risk assessment. However, DOD stated that it had recently established
2010 as the goal for completing the prioritization of sites, instead of
2012 which was the original goal set forth in the proposed regulation.
While we agree that this is a step in the right direction, DOD should
continue to look for other opportunities to accelerate these
inspections and the prioritization of sites to help ensure that
resources are being targeted toward the riskiest sites first.
Finally, DOD partially concurred with our recommendation to establish
interim goals for cleanup phases for the services and the Corps. DOD
stated that it has established interim goals of completing all
preliminary assessments by 2007 and all site inspections by 2010, and
that these goals apply to all military components, thereby eliminating
the need for separate service-specific goals. However, DOD noted that
it is working with each military service to establish additional goals
and measures to gauge progress. While we are encouraged by DOD's
efforts in this area, we believe that service-specific goals and
measures, as they apply to the cleanup phases, will be essential for
DOD to ensure that each of the services and the Corps are making
progress in cleaning up potentially contaminated sites and achieving
the overall goals of the program.
In addition to its written comments on our draft report, DOD also
provided a number of technical comments and clarifications, which we
have incorporated in this report as appropriate. DOD's written comments
appear in appendix III.
As agreed with your office, unless you publicly announce the contents
of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days
from the report date. At that time, we will send copies of this report
to the appropriate congressional committees; the Secretary of Defense;
Director, Office of Management and Budget; and other interested
parties. We will also make copies available to others upon request. In
addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO Web site
at [Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov] http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staffs have any questions, please call me or Edward
Zadjura at (202) 512-3841. Key contributors to this report are listed
in appendix IV.
Sincerely yours,
Anu K. Mittal:
Director, Natural Resources and Environment:
Signed by Anu K. Mittal:
[End of section]
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Safety, Environmental, and Human Health Risks:
Military munitions can pose risks to public safety, human health, and
the environment. In terms of the explosive hazard, unexploded ordnance
poses an immediate safety risk of physical injury to those who
encounter it. Military munitions may also pose a health and
environmental risk because their use and disposal may release
constituents that may contaminate soil, groundwater, and surface water.
Ranges contaminated with military munitions, especially those located
in ecologically sensitive wetlands and floodplains, may have soil,
groundwater, and surface water contamination from any of the over 200
chemical munitions constituents that are associated with the ordnance
and their usage. When exposed to some of these constituents, humans
potentially face long-term health problems, such as cancer and damage
to heart, liver, and kidneys. Of these constituents, there are 20 that
are of greatest concern due to their widespread use and potential
environmental impact. Table 2 contains a listing of these munitions
constituents, and table 3 describes some of the potential health
effects of five of them.
Table 2: Munitions Constituents of Greatest Concern:
Type of munitions constituents:
Trinitrotoluene (TNT)
1,3- Dintrobenzene
Nitrobenzene
2,4-Dinitrotoluene
2-Amino-4,6- Dinitrotoluene
2-Nitrotoluene
2,6-Dinitrotoluene 4-Amino-2,6- Dinitrotoluene
3-Nitrotoluene
Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7- tetrazocine (HMX)
2,4-Diamino-6-nitrotoluene
4-Nitrotoluene
Hexahydro- 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)
2,6-Diamino-4-nitrotoluene
Methylnitrite
Perchlorate
1,2,3-Propanetriol trinitrate (Nitroglycerine)
Pentaerythritoltetranitrate (PETN)
1,3,5- Trinitrobenzene
N,2,4,6-Tetranitro-N-methylaniline (Tetryl) (White Phosphorus).
Source: DOD, Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Environmental Restoration Program
Annual Report to Congress.
[End of table]
While many of these constituents have been an environmental concern to
the Department of Defense (DOD) for more than 20 years, the current
understanding of the causes, distribution, and potential impact of
constituent releases into the environment remains limited. The nature
of these impacts, and whether they pose an unacceptable risk to human
health and the environment, depend upon the dose, duration, and pathway
of exposure, as well as the sensitivity of the exposed populations.
However, the link between such constituents and any potential health
effects is not always clear and continues to be studied.
Table 3: Potential Effects of the Munitions Constituents Closely
Associated with Military Munitions:
Constituent: TNT; Potential toxicity/effects: Possible human
carcinogen, targets liver, skin irritations, and cataracts.
Constituent: RDX; Potential toxicity/effects: Possible human
carcinogen, prostate problems, nervous system problems, nausea and
vomiting. Laboratory exposure to animals indicates potential organ
damage.
Constituent: HMX; Potential toxicity/effects: Animal studies suggest
potential liver and central nervous system damage.
Constituent: Perchlorate; Potential toxicity/effects: Exposure causes
itching, tearing, and pain; ingestion may cause gastroenteritis with
abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; systemic effects may
follow and may include ringing of ears, dizziness, elevated blood
pressure, blurred vision, and tremors. Chronic effects may include
metabolic disorders of the thyroid.
Constituent: White Phosphorus; Potential toxicity/effects:
Reproductive effects. Liver, heart, or kidney damage; death; skin
burns, irritation of throat and lungs, vomiting, stomach cramps,
drowsiness.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, Handbook on the Management of
Ordnance and Explosives at Closed, Transferring, and Transferred Ranges
and Other Sites.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix II: Additional Details on Our Scope and Methodology:
The objectives of our review were to evaluate (1) DOD's progress in
implementing its program to identify, assess, and clean up sites
containing military munitions and (2) DOD's plans to clean up remaining
sites in the future. To evaluate DOD's progress in identifying,
assessing, and cleaning up military munitions sites, we analyzed data
provided to us by DOD's Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense
(Installations and Environment) Cleanup Office from its database for
sites identified under the Military Munitions Response program. This
information includes the status of studies or cleanup actions, as well
as cost estimates. The data are complete as of September 30, 2002,
DOD's most recent reporting cycle, and were used to develop DOD's
Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Environmental Restoration Program Annual
Report to Congress. We also analyzed additional data on the status of
studies or cleanup actions provided to us by the Army Corps of
Engineers (the Corps) from its database of formerly used defense sites.
We assessed the reliability of relevant fields in these databases by
electronically testing for obvious errors in accuracy and completeness,
reviewing information about the data and the system that produced them,
and interviewing agency officials knowledgeable about the data. When we
found inconsistencies, we worked with DOD and military service
officials to correct the inconsistencies before conducting our
analyses. We determined that the data needed for our review were
sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our report.
We also reviewed 38 of 75 project files at seven Corps districts where,
according to DOD's database, site cleanup action is either complete or
under way. (See table 4 for a listing of these districts).
Table 4: Districts Visited during Review:
Corps district: Baltimore; Total number of sites: 2; Sites with
cleanup completed: 1; Sites with cleanup under way: 1.
Corps district: Fort Worth; Total number of sites: 3; Sites with
cleanup completed: 0; Sites with cleanup under way: 3.
Corps district: Honolulu; Total number of sites: 2; Sites with cleanup
completed: 0; Sites with cleanup under way: 2.
Corps district: Huntsville; Total number of sites: 12; Sites with
cleanup completed: 4; Sites with cleanup under way: 8.
Corps district: Jacksonville; Total number of sites: 8; Sites with
cleanup completed: 2; Sites with cleanup under way: 6.
Corps district: Kansas City; Total number of sites: 4; Sites with
cleanup completed: 3; Sites with cleanup under way: 1.
Corps district: Los Angeles; Total number of sites: 7; Sites with
cleanup completed: 2; Sites with cleanup under way: 5.
Corps district: Total; Total number of sites: 38; Sites with cleanup
completed: 12; Sites with cleanup under way: 26.
Source: GAO.
[End of table]
We selected these districts based on the number of sites where cleanup
was completed or under way and the estimated cost to complete cleanup,
with some consideration given for geographic distribution. These files
represented 52 percent of the 23 sites with a completed cleanup action
and 50 percent of the 52 sites with a cleanup action under way. We used
our file reviews to develop case example of changes in estimated costs
to complete cleanup over time and cleanup actions taken. These case
examples are for illustration only.
To evaluate DOD's plans for addressing the remaining sites, we analyzed
the plans, as well as the assumptions upon which those plans are based,
including cost and projected completion dates. In addition, we reviewed
policies and program guidance, analyzed financial data, and interviewed
program managers in DOD and the military services and the Corps. We
conducted our work between November 2002 and October 2003 in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards.
[End of section]
Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Defense:
ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS:
OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE:
3000 DEFENSE
PENTAGON
WASHINGTON, DC 20301-3000:
DEC 1 2003:
Ms. Anu Mittal:
Director
Natural Resources and Environment
U.S. General Accounting Office:
441 G Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20548:
Dear Ms. Mittal:
This letter is the Department of Defense (DoD) response to the GAO
draft report, "MILITARY MUNITIONS: DoD Needs to Develop a Comprehensive
Approach for Cleaning Up Contaminated Sites," November 13, 2003 (GAO
Code 360286/GAO-04-147).
The Department concurs with the GAO recommendation in the draft report
to work with the Congress to develop realistic budget proposals that
will allow DoD to complete cleanup activities on potentially
contaminated sites in a timely manner. The Department partially:
concurs with GAO recommendations to (1) establish deadlines to complete
the identification process and initial evaluations, (2) establish
interim goals for cleanup phases for the Services and Corps to target,
and (3) reassess the timetable proposed for completing the reevaluation
of sites using the new risk assessment procedure. Enclosed are specific
comments on each of these recommendations.
Additionally, after reviewing the final report, DoD has technical
comments, which are also enclosed for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Philip W. Grone:
Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations
& Environment):
Signed by Philip W. Grone:
Enclosures: as stated:
GAO DRAFT REPORT - DATED NOVEMBER 13, 2003 GAO CODE 360286/GAO-04-147:
"MILITARY MUNITIONS: DoD Needs to Develop a Comprehensive Approach for
Cleaning Up Contaminated Sites":
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMMENTS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS:
RECOMMENDATION 1: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense
revise DoD's plan to establish deadlines to complete the identification
process and initial evaluations so that it knows what the universe of
sites is that needs to be assessed, prioritized, and cleaned up. (p.
19/GAO Draft Report):
DOD RESPONSE: Partially concur. Over the last two years, DoD has been
working with the Military Components to identify potential munitions
response sites. Through the publicly available site of the Defense
Environmental Network and Information Exchange (DENIX), DoD has shared
the most recent inventory results and continues to solicit information
from both the environmental regulatory community and public
stakeholders to assist in site identification. This is an ongoing
process that will likely continue throughout the early years of the
program and is not dissimilar to DOD's traditional hazardous waste
cleanup program where limited site discovery takes place to the
present. DoD and the Military Components will continue to work with
stakeholders to identify additional sites and add sites to the
munitions response site inventory, as appropriate. Goals recently
established for preliminary assessments and site inspections are
sufficient to drive the program at this stage.
Additionally, the GAO report fails to differentiate between the action
that DoD has taken and those that it has not. For munitions response
sites that are also Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) or that are
located on installations under a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAG)
action, the inventory accuracy is at the 95% level or better. FUDS,
which have already transferred to the public, and BRAC which are, for
the most part, in the process of transferring, are correctly being
given greater priority than most munitions response sites still under
DoD control. For example, Army munitions response sites that are
lacking in terms of inventory and initial evaluation are, for the most
part, located on active installations still under DoD control.
RECOMMENDATION 2: The GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense
revise DoD's plan to reassess the timetable proposed for completing its
reevaluation of sites using the new risk assessment procedures so that
it can, in a more timely manner, establish the order in which sites
should be assessed and cleaned up, thereby focusing on the riskiest
sites first. (p. 19/GAO Draft Report):
DOD RESPONSE: Partially concur. DoD plans to finalize the munitions
response site prioritization protocol in 2004 and will immediately
begin applying the protocol to sites with sufficient information to
evaluate at least one risk module. For sites where little or no
information is available, the Military Components will need sufficient
time and resources to conduct site assessments and gather information
for completion of each risk module. Application of the prioritization
process is an iterative process. As new information becomes
available, sites will be reevaluated to ensure that the sites with the
highest relative risk are given priority for the sequencing of
munitions responses.
Working closely with the Military Components, DoD recently established
2010 as the goal for all site inspections to be complete at all
munitions response sites. This date was determined to be both
appropriate and achievable after careful evaluation of site information
currently available; time and resource requirements to gather needed
information; and impact on the traditional hazardous waste cleanup
program. This will effectively change the goal of applying the three
modules of the prioritization protocol to all munitions response sites
from 2012 to 2010.
Lastly, the US Army Corps of Engineers has for a number of years used
its relative risk assessment code (RAC) which assigns a relative risk
to each munitions response site. Currently, work for the vast majority
of munitions response sites is sequenced using this "risk-based"
system.
RECOMMENDATION 3: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense
revise DoD's plan to establish interim goals for cleanup phases for the
Services and Corps to target. (p. 19/GAO Draft Report):
DOD RESPONSE: Partially concur. As part of the current budgeting and
programming guidance, DoD established interim goals requiring
completion of all preliminary assessments by 2007 and all site
inspections by 2010. These goals apply to all the Military Components,
eliminating the need to have separate Service-specific goals. DoD is
working with each of the Military Components to establish additional
goals (including the establishment of a program completion date) and
metrics to gauge progress toward goal accomplishment.
RECOMMENDATION 4: The GAO recommended that after DoD has revised its
comprehensive plan that DoD work with the Congress to develop realistic
budget proposals that will allow DoD to complete cleanup activities on
potentially contaminated sites in a timely manner. (p. 19/GAO Draft
Report):
DOD RESPONSE: Concur. DoD and the Military Components will be working
together to determine realistic program completion cost estimates and
budgets that support achievement of program goals in a timely and
affordable manner. Consultation with Congress is vital.
[End of section]
Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contacts:
Ms. Anu K. Mittal, (202) 512-3841 Edward Zadjura, (202) 512-9914:
Acknowledgments:
In addition to those named above, Jack Burriesci, Elizabeth Erdmann,
Sherry McDonald, and Matthew Reinhart made key contributions to this
report. Also contributing to this report were Cynthia Norris, Rebecca
Shea, and Ray Wessmiller.
(360286):
FOOTNOTES
[1] Unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and munitions
constituents are hereafter referred to as "military munitions" for the
purpose of this report. Unexploded ordnance includes ordnance primed
and fired but remain unexploded. For a more complete definition, see
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, Pub. L.
No. 108-136, section 1042 (a)(2).
[2] A formerly used defense site is a property that Department of
Defense (DOD) formerly owned, leased, possessed, operated, or otherwise
controlled, and was transferred from DOD prior to October 17, 1986.
[3] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste,
Permits and State Programs Division, UXO Incident Report (Revision 1),
(Washington, D.C., 2001).
[4] The Defense Environmental Restoration Program was established by
section 211 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of
1986, which amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA).
[5] There are an additional eight sites for which cleanup action is
planned, but not yet begun. These sites were not included in our file
review process.
[6] In the report issued on April 21, 2003, DOD provided aggregate high
and low program cost estimates for clean up of military munitions at
Military Munitions Response program sites, as well as operational
ranges, to satisfy a one-time congressional reporting requirement.
[7] In previous GAO work, we estimated that the Corps lacked a sound
basis for about 38 percent of its determinations, based on its
preliminary assessment of eligibility, that sites did not require any
further DOD action; and we recommended that the Corps review these
files to determine if these properties should be reassessed. The 38
percent includes all potential formerly used defense sites, including
those suspected of containing military munitions. As noted above, the
Corps is in the process of reassessing the determinations. See U.S.
General Accounting Office, Environmental Contamination: Corps Needs to
Reassess Its Determinations That Many Former Defense Sites Do Not Need
Cleanup, GAO-02-658 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 23, 2002).
[8] DOD proposed a rule establishing this protocol on August 22, 2003,
allowing 90 days for a public comment period. 68 Fed. Reg. 50,900.
[9] DOD recognized that other factors, such as economic, programmatic,
and stakeholder concerns, may affect the sequence in which sites are
cleaned up.
[10] This estimate is a conservative estimate because it was calculated
based on annual funding totals that include funding that is needed for
program management and administration.
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