Number: 1989-26
WHEREAS, the League of Ohio Sportsmen in its annual convention on February 25, 1989, approved a resolution urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take action to remedy the longstanding problem of toxic sediments from the Ashtabula River in Ashtabula, Ohio; and,
WHEREAS, the historic mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has included the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of a variety of civil engineering structures, including navigation locks and channels, multipurpose dams, and flood control levees, as well as the supervision of large numbers of contracts necessary to administer the Army Civil Works program; and,
WHEREAS, the Corps of Engineers also has substantial authority and responsibility for public recreation, the enhancement of environmental quality, and the mitigation of damages to fish and Wildlife habitat associated with Federal water resource development activity, and in many cases these responsibilities and opportunities go unfulfilled; and,
WHEREAS, several recent studies have highlighted critical problems with the Superfund cleanup program, including inadequate enforcement; over-reliance on contractors and a resulting lack of in-house biological, technical, and other expertise at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); a strong tendency to approve temporary “containment” remedies at Superfund sites rather than permanent cleanups; and a general failure to assure that injured natural resources are restored; and,
WHEREAS, the Corps of Engineers has responsibility in civil engineering and contract administration that could be used to assist EPA in the cleanup of many of America’s polluted waterways and Superfund sites;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1989 in Arlington, Virginia, calls for a redirection of the Corps of Engineers’ mission to include providing EPA with technical assistance in the planning and design of permanent and safe cleanup of Superfund sites using the best available technology, and with assistance in contract administration; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges that the Corps of Engineers make fuller use of its existing authorities for public recreation, enhancement of environmental quality, and mitigation of damages to fish and wildlife habitat in areas affected by the construction and operation of Corps projects; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges that the Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with EPA, give the necessary priority to implementation of environmentally sound plans, using the best available technology, for the removal and disposal of contaminated sediments from rivers and harbors and the permanent cleanup of such areas, including the Ashtabula River toxic sediment area in Ohio; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation reaffirms its view that responsible parties should ultimately pay the cost of toxic cleanup and related damages to natural resources, whether such costs are initially incurred through the Army Civil Works program or through the Superfund program.