Norman D. Dicks: “Many environmental laws, regulations, and policies impose restrictions on Navy vessels, aircraft, and facilities that…”

“Many environmental laws, regulations, and policies impose restrictions on Navy vessels, aircraft, and facilities that would impede Navy operations if not met. The Navy must be able to conduct its national security mission in compliance with applicable environmental requirements in the U.S. and abroad without compromising performance, safety, or health, while simultaneously minimizing the cost of compliance. This program develops and evaluates processes, hardware, systems, and operational procedures which allow the Navy to operate in U.S., foreign, and international waters, air, space, and land areas while complying with environmental laws, regulations, Executive orders, policies, and international agreements. Projects funded in this program support Navy compliance with the Clean Water Act, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and numerous others. I come from an area where the Navy operates very effectively in the State of Washington, and these kinds of onboard waste disposal are absolutely critical; because when you serve on a nuclear submarine, you are out there for many, many days, and you have got to have things onboard ship as well to deal with these kinds of problems. So I think this is in the best interests of the Navy, and I urge a ``no'' on the gentleman's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR.…”