SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact StatementD.3.8 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND WASTE175. There remain unresolved issues with DU. The Army has not been candid in its disclosuresabout DU on Oahu or Hawaii Island. Consequently, the Army needs to disclose fully its data,methods and test procedures, and results so independent experts can review and verify theArmy’s results and conclusions. The Army must disclose locations of all sites in Hawaii thathave been contaminated with DU so the areal extent of the contamination can be evaluated.At Pohakuloa, winds carry dust from soils that are contaminated with DU off the Army’s installationsonto surrounding communities, which exposes the public to the health hazards ofDU. Training of the SBCT will kick up more than 13.4 million pounds of dust that includestoxics like DU per year. There is ample evidence that DU is implicated in Gulf War Syndromeand in the climbing number of cancer cases and birth defects that no plague the Iraqipeople and our veterans. Cancer, thyroid problems, and diabetes are increasing in residentsthat live downwind of Pohakuloa. Sheep, goats, birds, cats, and other animals are being foundwith tumors, which are markers for radiation poisoning. The Army must not use or store DUin Hawaii. DU weapons violate international agreements and should be outlawed. The Armymust say in the EIS how it is going to clean up the DU in Hawaii.The Army is violating its own regulations concerning DU — specifically AR 700–48 and TB9–1300–278.The Army needs to assure people that no other DU weapons will be tested or used in conjunctionwith the SBCT training.Has DU been found at the training areas in Alaska or Colorado?Will cluster bombs be used in training and do they contain DU?DU is polluting the entire earth and its use is a worldwide ecological crisis.Response: As discussed in Section 3.1.1, current Army policy prohibits the use of DUammunition for training worldwide (AR 385-63). The DU components found inHawaii were used between 1961 and 1968. These specific components werepart of the Davy Crockett Weapons System. Until the initial discovery of thetail assemblies in 2005, current Army staff was unaware of the existence of theitems in Hawaii. A ground survey of the immediate and surrounding area detectedno readings above background levels. A subsequent survey of the areawith more sophisticated equipment again detected no readings above backgroundlevels. In October 2006, a third survey of the area was conducted inareas made more accessible by a successful prescribed burn of the impactarea.The Army has a four-point plan to address DU found in Hawaii:We will provide all information obtained to the Hawaii Department of Healthin a timely manner.The state will be a partner in the planning and execution of an extensive surveyand monitoring effort to address Schofield Barracks’ range, Makua MilitaryReservation and Pohakuloa Training Area.February 2008 D–59 2/25th SBCT Final EIS