Identification of Formerly Used Defense Sites on the Bureau of Land Managements Public Lands; DD: 9/30/2009

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov/

August 14, 2009

In Reply Refer To:
1700 (280) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 08/20/2009
Instruction Memorandum No. 2009-195
Expires: 09/30/2010

To: State Directors

From: Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning

Subject: Identification of Formerly Used Defense Sites on the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands DD: 9/30/2009

Program Area: Hazmat and Realty

Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) requests field input to verify the accuracy of information contained in the known or suspected Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) spreadsheet (Attachment 1), which lists those sites located on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) public lands.

Policy/Action: State Office environmental and realty officials should coordinate with their respective Field Offices to determine if the information contained on the spreadsheet is accurate and update the spreadsheet as appropriate. Known or suspected FUDS sites that are not listed are particularly important. Additionally, each State environmental lead should make some assessment of the priority of the sites within their areas of responsibility (i.e., numbered from highest to lowest priority (1 being the highest priority), based upon factors that include known munitions, site contamination by munitions constituents, and potential for exposure of the public and the BLM’s employees).
The updated spreadsheets should be sent to Robert Jolley (robert_jolley@blm.gov) in the Washington Office (WO) by September 30, 2009. The WO will use the updated information in negotiations with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance (OEPC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to ensure that those BLM sites with the highest identified priority are scheduled as soon as practical. The Division of Environmental Quality and Protection will also begin to conduct follow-on work with the National Operations Center, USACE, and the WO’s realty specialists to develop specific FUDS spatial information, such as area, shape, and suspected ordnance types associated with the FUDS sites.

Timeframe: This IM is effective immediately.

Budget Impact: This action will have limited financial impact. Some staff time will be involved.

Background: The Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for environmental restoration of properties that were formerly owned by, leased to or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense. Such properties are known as FUDS. These sites may contain military munitions, munitions constituents, or other hazardous substances related to the military’s usage of the land. The Army is the executive agent for the program and the USACE manages and directs the program's administration. Information about the origin and extent of contamination, land transfer issues, past and present property ownership, and program policies must be evaluated before DOD considers a property eligible for Defense Environment Restoration Account (DERA) funding under the FUDS program. The FUDS program is conducted pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration, Compensation, and Liability Act. Many of the FUDS sites are located on BLM-managed lands that were formerly used by the DOD and returned to public domain.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None.

Coordination: This IM has been coordinated with the State Hazardous Material Management program leads and the Division of Lands, Realty & Cadastral Survey (WO-350).

Contact: Robert Jolley, Senior Environmental Engineer, Division of Environmental Quality and Protection (WO-280), (202) 785-6568.

Signed by: Authenticated by:
Edwin L. Roberson Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Renewable Resources and Planning

1 Attachment
1 – FUDS Spreadsheet (6 pp)