Environmental protection is an issue of enormous significance and interest to the American public. Most Americans are cognizant of environmental issues, as those issues apply to business and industry, and as those issues apply to individual and households. Most Americans, however, are unaware of the applicability of environmental law and environmental protection regulations to the activities of the United States Department of Defense, which, in turn, included the activities of all of the nation's armed forces. This submission describes a proposed research study which will examine the applicability of the nation's environmental protection laws and regulations to the activities of the Department of Defense.
The application of environmental protection law and regulations to private industry and household occurs within an open public forum. All Americans, if the are interested, may gain access to such environmental assessment activities and decision making. With respect to the activities of the Department of Defense, however, national security concerns are often employed to deny public access to the environmental assessment activities and decision making concerning the application of environmental protection laws and regulations. Further, at times, national security concerns are also invoked as a justification for the lifting of all requirements for the Department of Defense to abide by environmental protection laws and regulations. As an example, President Bush, just prior to the initiation of hostile activities against Iraq in January 1991, excused the Department of Defense from the need to observe environmental protection laws and regulations for the duration of the conflict. Thus, it is proposed that a research study be conducted, which will investigate the following questions:
1. Does the process by which environmental protection laws and regulations are applied to the activities of the Department of Defense lead to a s...