Defense Bill Requires Identification, Monitoring, Assessment of Unexploded and Chemical Munitions Dumped Near Hawaii

Defense Bill Requires Identification, Monitoring, Assessment of Unexploded and Chemical Munitions Dumped Near Hawaii

The 2007 Defense Authorization bill passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives includes a key provision by Congressman Neil Abercrombie and Senator Dan Akaka requiring the military to identify and assess the risk posed by unexploded and chemical munitions dumped near Hawaii in the 1940s.

"This legislation marks the first concrete step toward addressing the potentially serious threat to the public and the environment from thousands of tons of chemical weapons dumped into the ocean near Oahu by the U.S. military at the end of World War II," said Abercrombie.

The provisions followed revelations in military records that showed sites where thousands of tons of bombs, artillery shells and other chemical munitions were dumped in the ocean.

"The language requires the Department of Defense to identify, survey, analyze, and report on at least two dump locations near Hawaii so we can understand the potential risks and what it will take to clean them up," Abercrombie continued.

The results of these studies will help with additional monitoring or remediation measures in the future needed to protect the environment and the people of Hawaii from any potential risk.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/hi01_abercrombie/chemical_dumps07.html