APRemoving unexploded munitions and hazardous waste found so far on 15 million acres of shutdown U.S. military ranges could take more than 300 years, congressional auditors say.
In a report to Congress, the General Accounting Office said the Defense Department has yet to assess three-fifths of the 2,307 potentially contaminated sites identified as of September 2002 and has finished cleaning up only 1 percent of them. Some of the areas have been redeveloped for homes and parks.
The report, obtained by The Associated Press before its release, said the Pentagon 'does not yet have a complete and viable plan' to guide its remaining cleanups. Assessments of the sites not yet examined in detail for possible explosive hazards, chemical warfare material and chronic health and environmental hazards won't be completed until
2012, the GAO said.
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Man, was this story hard to find. Talk about buried.
"At the current rate of annual spending — $106 million on average during the Bush administration — the cleanup 'could take from 75 to 330 years to complete,' the auditors said."
What makes them think the Planet will be around in 330 years? Trillions for Mars, not one cent for Earth!
Unembedded.com