Political Quotes

“in the wake of our march to war with Iraq, too little attention has been placed on the rush to exempt the Department of Defense from most of America's major environmental laws. This is more than just another misguided assault on the environment by the Bush administration. It is a significant missed opportunity for the military. Our defense-related activities are the source of the Nation's largest pollution and Superfund sites. From the radioactive legacy at Hanford, Washington, to the toxic residue of our chemical testing and manufacturing around American University here in Washington, D.C., every State, district and territory struggles with this problem. More exemptions are not going to help. A lack of controls created this toxic legacy across America in the first place. These exemptions will actually cost us money. Much of the tens of billions of dollars that will be necessary to clean up after our military activity is a result of delay and lack of commitment. States will be forced to step in where the Federal Government has walked away. Failure to invest in technologies of cleanup will put lives at risk. Land mines, unexploded ordnance kill people at home and abroad. Even the sprawl that vexes communities around the country hits at the military. Isolated areas that were once perfect for testing weapons and training soldiers are now victims of our headlong rush for urban development.”