CONGRESSMAN UNDERWOOD INTRODUCES BASES CLEAN-UP AMENDMENT INTO CONGRESS

Congressman Robert Underwood (Del-D-Guam) has introduced an amendment regarding the bases clean up issue into the Fiscal Year 2002 Foreign Relations Authorization Act (H.R. 1646).  This Sense of Congress calls on the support for the U.S.-Republic of the Philippines Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation on Environmental and Public Health and for a non-governmental study of environmental contamination in the former U.S. military bases in the Philippines and its health effects on the local population.

The text of the amendment is as follows:

SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND HEALTH EFFECTS IN THE PHILIPPINES EMANATING FROM FORMER UNITED STATES MILITARY FACILITIES.

AMENDMENT TO H.R.1646 OFFERED BY MR. UNDERWOOD OF GUAM MAY 17, 2001

SEC. 751.

It is the sense of the Congress that--

(1) the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, should continue to work with the Government of the Philippines and with appropriate non-governmental organizations in the United States and the Philippines to fully identify and share all relevant information concerning environmental contamination and health effects emanating from former United States military facilities in the Philippines following departure of the United States military forces from the Philippines in 1992;

(2) the United States and the Government of the Philippines should continue to build upon the agreements outlined in the Joint Statement by the United States and the Republic of the Philippines on a Framework for Bilateral Cooperation in the Environment and Public Health signed on July 27, 2000; and

(3) Congress should encourage an objective non-governmental study which would examine environmental contamination and health effects emanating from former United States military facilities in the Philippines, following departure of United States military forces from the Philippines in 1992.