Formerly Used Defense Sites

Formerly Used Defense Sites
Name	Formerly Used Defense Sites
Type	Environmental remediation program
Established	1986
Jurisdiction	United States Department of Defense
Headquartered	Arlington County, Virginia
Parent agency	United States Department of Defense

Formerly Used Defense Sites are properties previously owned, leased, possessed, or used by the United States Department of Defense that contain contamination from past United States Army and United States Navy operations. The program addresses residual munitions, hazardous waste, and infrastructure impacts on parcels conveyed to entities such as state governments, county authorities, municipalities, tribal nations, and private landowners. Coordination often involves federal partners including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, and entities like the General Services Administration.

Overview

The Formerly Used Defense Sites initiative identifies, investigates, and remediates contamination on lands formerly under control of United States Armed Forces components including the United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, and United States Army Corps of Engineers. It intersects with statutory frameworks such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, while engaging stakeholders like state environmental agencies, tribal governments, and private landholders. The program catalogues sites via inventories maintained by the Department of Defense and liaises with agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when coastal or estuarine resources are affected.

History and origins

Origins trace to Cold War-era property transfers following closures of installations such as Loring Air Force Base, Hanford Site support facilities, and former Naval Air Station auxiliaries. Legislative impetus came from congressional action in the 1980s addressing legacy contamination from ordnance, testing ranges, and industrial support activities. Key milestones involved hearings by committees like the House Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, leading to formalized authority for remediation and reimbursement for cleanup costs. Historic military programs including Project SHAD and munitions testing at ranges such as Fort Ord shaped the early investigation priorities.

Scope and site types

Sites encompass a wide range of properties: decommissioned arsenals like Rock Island Arsenal satellite areas, former proving grounds such as Aberdeen Proving Ground outlying ranges, closed missile silos linked to the North American Aerospace Defense Command era, and converted airfields tied to facilities like Chanute Air Force Base. Coastal and inland firing ranges, industrial workshops, storage depots, and munitions burial pits are typical site types. Contaminants include unexploded ordnance associated with training at places such as Camp Pendleton, chemical residues from demilitarization at depots like Tooele Army Depot, and fuel contamination from depots connected to Defense Logistics Agency operations.

Environmental contamination and hazards

Contaminants frequently encountered include energetic compounds (e.g., residues from unexploded ordnance at Yuma Proving Ground), heavy metals from plating and machining at former Bethlehem Steel-adjacent depots, polychlorinated biphenyls historically used in electrical equipment, and petroleum hydrocarbons from fuel storage tied to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Ecological receptors such as species protected under the Endangered Species Act and habitats managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can be affected when contamination extends into wetlands or riparian zones adjacent to sites like Eglin Air Force Base former ranges. Human hazards include munitions safety risks and exposure pathways documented near residential conversions of bases like Lowry Air Force Base.

Cleanup programs and agencies

Primary responsibility rests with the Department of Defense components and executing agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Defense Logistics Agency Environmental Restoration Program. Interagency collaboration often involves the Environmental Protection Agency under Superfund provisions and state remediation programs such as those administered by agencies like the California Environmental Protection Agency. Cleanup actions may follow the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites process, coordinating with federal trustees including the National Park Service when lands are transferred to public use.

Health and community impacts

Communities proximate to former military properties—ranging from urban neighborhoods adjacent to closed bases like Crumbley Field-area developments to rural towns near firing ranges in states such as New Mexico and Alaska—face concerns about groundwater contamination, airborne particulates during remediation, and the risk of discovering unexploded ordnance. Public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state departments of health collaborate on exposure assessments and community outreach. Tribal communities, including those represented by entities like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, often assert treaty-protected resource interests when ancestral lands overlap with contaminated parcels.

Notable sites and case studies

Selected examples illustrate challenges and approaches: the conversion of Fort Ord into mixed-use development required extensive ordnance removal and habitat restoration; remediation at Naval Air Station Alameda involved coordination with the Port of Oakland and regional agencies; cleanup of demilitarization residues at satellite areas of the Tooele Army Depot illustrates industrial-scale remediation logistics; and addressing contamination at former munitions testing ranges such as Kahoʻolawe required cultural resource consultation with Native Hawaiian practitioners. Each case demonstrates interactions with federal litigation, state consent decrees, and reuse planning by entities like Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Policy, legislation, and funding mechanisms

Key statutes shaping the program include the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, provisions enacted by the Defense Environmental Restoration Act, and appropriations managed through congressional committees such as the House Committee on Appropriations. Funding mechanisms involve DoD accounts, cost-sharing with state agencies, and settlement instruments negotiated with parties including the General Services Administration. Oversight and accountability incorporate audits by the Government Accountability Office and program reviews directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Category:Environmental remediation