Defense Environment Alert
May 7, 2002

POLL FINDS PUBLIC OPPOSES ENVIRONMENTAL EXEMPTIONS FOR DOD

A significant majority of voters say government agencies such as the Defense Department should be compelled to follow U.S. environmental and public health laws, according to a poll conducted by Zogby America on behalf of a coalition of public interest groups. The poll was done just as DOD proposed legislation that would authorize various military-related exemptions to portions of several environmental laws.

According to the results released by Zogby, 85 percent of registered voters stated that agencies such as DOD should be required to follow environmental laws. The poll further found that among Republican voters and those who voted for President Bush, over 75 percent opposed exemptions. it says.

Zogby posed the question as follows: "Congress is considering a proposal that would allow the U.S. military to ignore the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other environmental and public health laws. Do you believe that government agencies like the Defense Department should be exempt from America's environmental and public health laws, or should government agencies have to follow the same laws as everyone else'?"

The poll further fleshed out the issue, finding similar results showing "overwhelming" opposition to exemptions, the poll results say. The poll found that 78 percent of voters agreed with the view: "No government agency should be above the law -- including the laws that protect the environment around our military facilities and the health of the people who live nearby. U.S. laws already provide the flexibility needed to balance environmental protection and military readiness by allowing exemptions on a case-by-case basis in the interest of national security." In contrast, 19 percent chose the other view: "Environmental laws interfere with our ability to maintain military readiness and protect national security. U.S. government agencies should not have to place environmental protection above the need to ensure that America's armed forces receive the greatest possible preparation for the hazards and rigors of combat." One percent chose neither view, and 3 percent said they weren't sure.

Zogby, a nonpartisan, independent pollster that has tracked public opinion for 16 years, randomly polled 1,002 registered voters nationwide April 19-22. The poll has an error margin of +/- 3.2 percent.

A coalition of public interest groups that opposes DOD's pursuit of targeted exemptions commissioned the poll to gauge public reaction to the Pentagon's proposal. Since the poll was taken, congressional committees have pared back DOD's legislative amendments (see related story).