Volume 142, No. 140 covering the 2nd Session of the 104th Congress (1995 - 1996) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HIA FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR 1997” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1907 on Oct. 2, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HIA FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR 1997
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HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 2, 1996
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the recently passed fiscal year 1997 appropriations bill--just signed into law by the President--
containing funding for the Department of Defense, included language from the National Security Appropriations Conference Report which directed the Air Force to expend the necessary funds for the operation and maintenance of a site database to be located at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. The database is to support the former Olmsted Air Force Base Superfund site as it transitions from final DOD restoration to EPA Superfund deletion to public-private sitewide development. That language, from page H11875 of the Congressional Record of September 28, 1996, is presented here:
former olmsted air force base
The conferees are pleased that the final restoration by the Air Force of the former Olmsted Air Force Base in Pennsylvania is proceeding smoothly and the Environmental Protection Agency projects a delisting of the base
(Middletown Airfield EPA National Priorities List Site) from the NPL by the end of 1996. The conferees feel that following delisting of the site it will be necessary to maintain near the site a comprehensive database which incorporates data from all current and future environmental investigations to provide a comprehensive look at the environmental status of the site for future development or emergency response situations and to maintain institutional controls. Therefore, the conferees recommend that, commencing in fiscal year 1997, the Air Force expend funds necessary (estimated at $123,000 over five years) for such a comprehensive site database to be located at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
I have spoken at length before on the floor of the House of Representatives about the need for this site database and the need for the Air Force to fulfill its commitment to me, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the environmental restoration of the site by fully funding the database. The inclusion of language about the site database in the conference report clearly shows widespread congressional support for this funding and location.
Even with the congressional directive expressed in the above conference language there is, however, a concern about the funding that I wish to share with my colleagues. While the conference language states that the Air Force must expend the funds necessary over 5 years to fund the database, it is not clear that the initial startup costs of
$72,000 in fiscal year 1997 will be met. From the conference language the understanding is implicit, but not explicit, that if the Congress directs that the site database be established and funded, full and appropriate startup funding needs would be met.
It is my hope that the Department of Defense, and specifically the Air Force, will honor their commitment and the direction of the Congress of the United States, and by his signature the President of the United States, and fully fund this site database in fiscal year 1997 so that it can be fully operational by the time the former Olmsted Air Force Base is deleted from the EPA Superfund list.
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