Military Seeks an Exemption of Its Own

The Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative, sponsored by the White House, seeks exemptions from several environmental laws:

* A section of the Endangered Species Act that protects wildlife habitat.

* Sections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act that prohibit harassment of whales, dolphins, manatees and other sea mammals.

* Part of the Superfund statute that covers cleanups of explosives and munitions.

* Clean Air Act requirements for military vehicles during training.

* Hazardous waste laws that prohibit exposed toxic substances and require paying damages to states in cases of contamination.

The Defense Department presented its case during hearings on Capitol Hill last week, outlining its request that branches of the service be given the flexibility to operate outside the restrictions of environmental laws, which the military says hamper training and preparedness.

The initiative is being considered by committees in the House and Senate.

The California military installations most affected are Camp Pendleton, Ft. Irwin, Edwards Air Force Base, China Lake Naval Weapons Center, the Twentynine Palms Marine base and, east of the Salton Sea, the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range.

There has long been friction at California's military installations, where training such as live bombing, tank maneuvers and amphibious beach assaults can run afoul of federal protections for the plants and animals on military lands.

At Camp Pendleton, Marine officers complain that trainees can't dig a proper foxhole without disturbing nesting Western snowy plovers. At Ft. Irwin, tank commanders say they are unable to expand desert training out of deference to a small desert tortoise.

"It creates a lot of problems when you have to work around something," said Glenn Flood, a Defense Department spokesman. "Our guys have to hit the beach, walk on a sidewalk, then resume training. It takes time and energy to do that. They should not have to do that all the time."

Critics of the proposed exemptions say the military has maintained a laudable record of stewardship on 25 million acres across the nation while still fulfilling its training mission.