Acting on President Clinton's belief that a strong
international environmental program is crucial to U.S. security,
economic and health interest, the Department of Defense , the
Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
recently launched a cooperative effort on environmental security.
Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, Secretary of Energy
Hazel O'Leary and EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner, on July 3,
1996, signed a memorandum of understanding calling for
partnerships between these agencies, other governments and
industry to jointly address critical environmental concerns. The
MOU calls for a focused integration of government authorities,
expertise and resources on environmental priorities, and also
establishes a framework for cooperation in several areas.
The initial emphasis will be on programs to enhance
environmental cooperation between the United States and foreign
partners, including the Baltic States, Russia, Eastern Europe,
other states of the former Soviet Union and Asia-Pacific nations.
Methods of cooperation will include information exchange,
research and development, technology demonstration and transfer,
regulatory reform, emergency response training and environmental
management. The MOU
will also enhance overseas commercial
opportunities for U.S. industry in response to environmental
concerns.
Environmental security cooperation is part of Secretary's
Perry's strategy of preventive defense, and is important to U.S.
foreign policy because of the link between environmental risks or
threats, both regional and global, and political and economic
instabilities that can affect U.S. economic and security
interests. Cooperative activities under the MOU
will address
the environmental consequences of both military and civilian Cold
War defense activities, enhance other nations' abilities to
identify and manage environmental threats, and strengthen ties
with developing and democratizing nations. By such action, the
U.S. hopes these efforts will not only have a positive affect on
the environment, but also promote international peace and
security.
A recent directive by Secretary of State Warren Christopher
helped push international environmental security to the forefront
of the U.S. foreign policy agenda by emphasizing that addressing
natural resource issues is critical to achieving political and
economic stability and to pursuing our strategic goals around the
world.
All three agency heads have strongly supported this new area
of concern and cooperation. In announcing the MOU,
Secretary
Perry, said, There is enormous benefit to having a strong
working relationship among DOD, DOE, and EPA. Collaboration
among these agencies demonstrates to other governments how the
civilian and military sides of government can work together and
how our different objectives can be compatibly met.
He added that by sharing what we have learned with other
militaries and civilian environmental authorities, we can invest
in the kind of defense activities that help to create conditions
for a lasting peace. A healthy environment is a seminal part of
the picture , as environmental protection supports quality of
life and economic growth all over the world.
Secretary O'Leary added: Attracting private investment
from both U.S. and foreign partners will be important not only in
cleaning up hazards but in establishing a framework for the use
of cleaner, more energy efficient technologies in the future.
Clean energy and environmentally friendly
technologies are among the keys to ensuring a safer, more secure
future. By pooling resources we can make a greater contribution
to environmental quality, economic growth and sustainable
development, O'Leary said.
This agreement recognizes that protection of public
health and the environment have become an important part of our
national security, said EPA Administrator Browner. Environmental
protection and economic growth go hand in hand, and both are
essential to U.S. long-range interests
A copy of the MOU is available from the contacts listed
above.
