Environmental Cleanup Issues Associated with Closing Military Bases

In December 1988, the Commission on Base Realignment and Closure recommended that a number of military installations be closed as a result of changes to national security requirements. In the fall of 1989, the Congress endorsed the Commissions recommendations, and the Department of Defense began the process of closing those bases. At the time of its deliberations, the Commission had limited information concerning the extent of environmental contamination and the potential costs of cleanup at the bases. Since that time, however, the Department of Defense has located and identified significant contamination. This Congressional Budget Office CBO paper analyzes the costs and policy issues concerning the environmental cleanup associated with the initial round of base closings. This information may be of assistance to the Congress as it debates the additional base closings that will be considered during the next several years.