2010 spending bill lacks bite in curtailing burn-pit ops - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

2010 spending bill lacks bite in curtailing burn-pit ops

The potential health effects of exposure to burn-pit smoke in the war zones has attracted the attention of Congress.

As part of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers have requested a Pentagon report on current burn-pit operations in the war zones — but that is far short of what Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., originally sought.

Bishop introduced legislation last year that would have ordered the military not to operate burn pits beyond six months at bases expected to exist for longer than that — what military regulations already call for — and identify all troops who may have been exposed to the pits, notify them and examine them every year for symptoms.

But the report requested by the final Defense Authorization Act merely seeks an overview of what is being burned in open-air pits in the war zones, alternatives for dealing with the millions of tons of military waste created in Iraq and Afghanistan every year, and the potential health hazards related to the burn pits.

The act does order a ban on burning “hazardous” waste. It does not define what that is — yet goes on to say hazardous waste may still be burned in open pits if military officials determine there is no “feasible” alternative.

The Pentagon is required to submit its report in May.

Bishop, who launched a Web site, is not giving up. He said Jan. 13 that he will reintroduce legislation in the new session of Congress to again seek stronger restrictions on burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said he will push to have the Pentagon provide a history of all burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, create a registry of service members exposed to pit smoke, conduct complete examinations of those combat vets, and halt any burning of plastic waste.

His draft bill also defines a “hazardous disposal site” as “the use of open pits to burn waste.”

“It is critical to have an official registry documenting the tens of thousands of troops exposed to toxic burn pits in order to remove obstacles to accessing VA benefits many of them will need as a result of exposure,” Bishop said.

“In addition, we are pushing for a ban on the open-air burning of large quantities of plastics, which has been widely documented to occur, despite the clear health dangers.”

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