Introduction:

Through the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP), DoD cleans up the environment on our active installations, installations subject to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), and formerly used defense sites (FUDS). The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manage their own cleanup programs. The Army oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) execution of the FUDS program, which addresses cleanup of properties that were once owned or used by DoD. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, through the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment), provides program guidance and management oversight for DERP.

History of DERP:

DoD began environmental restoration activities in 1975 under the Installation Restoration Program. In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund. This law requires responsible parties to clean up releases of hazardous substances in the environment. The 1986 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) refined and expanded CERCLA, and formally established DERP and funding for the program through the Defense Environmental Restoration Account. Also during the 1980s, Congress recognized that DoD no longer needed some of its installations and subsequently authorized five rounds of base realignment and closure (BRAC) in 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2005. Environmental restoration at closing and realigning installations is funded.

Progress:

The Department has made significant progress towards reducing potential risks to human health and the environment through DERP. By the end of Fiscal Year 2009, the Department had completed cleanup at:

•    78% hazardous waste sites and 43% military munitions response sites on Active Installations
•    79% hazardous waste sites and 62% military munitions response sites on BRAC installations
•    70% hazardous waste sites and 35% military munitions response sites on FUDS Properties

More information on the Department’s progress can be found in the Department of Defense Environmental Programs Annual Report to Congress.