 We've accepted and are meeting the challenge head-on. The challenge of making protection, restoration, and enhancement of the environment some of our top priorities of the 1990s. Our commitment to the environmental program is evident as we've spent about $100 million over the past three years. We're encouraged by the progress we've made, but realize that our focus must remain steady as environmental awareness continues to evolve and responsibilities increase with time and understanding. For years, we have known that research and development play critical roles in our survival. Being good stewards of the environment as we go about our daily operations also must be a vital part of our mission. Our efforts to protect natural resources reach beyond base boundaries and we strive to include surrounding communities as part of our team. A team working to prevent further damage to the environment and dedicated to correcting past practices. We solicit input from the community and encourage participation to ensure that communication channels stay open. We have the right approach to environmental quality because, quite frankly, we are concerned about our entire base community, the place where we work and live. Wright Patterson Air Force Base is one of the nation's largest and most complex military installations. The base spans over 8,000 acres and consists of over 100 organizations with diverse missions including logistics management, research and development, education, flight operations, and many other defense-related activities. Because of its size and diversity, Wright Patterson is recognized as one of the most important Air Force bases throughout the Department of Defense. As we at Wright Patterson look forward to a promising future, we cannot lose sight of our historic past. The legacy of this base reaches back to the beginning of powered flight as a portion of Wright Patterson Compasses Huffman Prairie Flying Field, the site where the Wright Brothers mastered the principle of controlled powered flight. It was in this area where the airplane transitioned from a simple experimental machine to an indispensable mode of transportation and a symbol for national defense. During World War I, three military installations were established in the Dayton area that ultimately evolved into Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Pilot training, flight tests, and other activities similar to today's operations were being carried out in support of the war. During the early days of research and development at the base and particularly during the war years, very little was known about the environmental impact of aircraft maintenance and activities associated with the development of this new technology. It wasn't until many years later that people realized that new technologies resulting in improvements in the standard of living could lead to a number of undesirable side effects, waste products to be disposed of, high levels of noise, and disruptions to nature's patterns. Environmental concerns are no stranger to Wright Patterson as we have our share of problems resulting from past waste disposal practices. Practices that were commonly accepted in private industry across the nation as well as Wright Patterson and other military installations. Record searches tell us that from the 1930s until the early 1970s hazardous wastes were disposed of in landfills on base or stored in tanks or drums that as time passed deteriorated allowing the contents to leak into the environment. Other long-term pollution problems resulted from fuel spills leaking underground storage tanks and coal storage piles. These environmental concerns were the reason Wright Patterson was one of the first Air Force bases to be listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities Listing, a listing of waste sites that require formal investigation and cleanup. While a great deal of effort goes into investigation and cleanup of past waste sites, we also focus our energies on protecting our natural resources. Our mission today still revolves around flying and maintenance of aircraft paired with the continued research development and testing of advanced aerospace systems and technologies. One major difference between now and years past though is the increased level of interest in evaluating how these activities affect the environment. For example we can take a look at some of the bases current flying and training activities supported by the 906th Tactical Fighter Group and the 4950th Test Wing. Environmentally safe practices have become an integral part of day-to-day operations associated with refueling or other activities related to the maintenance of these aircraft. We make every effort to carry out daily operations in a safe and health-protective manner. However sometimes spills involving hazardous materials do occur. When this happens the base emergency spill response team moves quickly to assess, contain, control and clean up the spill. The team is comprised of environmental specialists along with personnel from the base fire department, safety office, bio-environmental and civil engineering squadron. Team members are trained and equipped to respond to a wide variety of environmental releases. Another example comes to light when we look at how we do business in our research laboratories. The Aeronautical Systems Center's Wright Laboratory, a tenant organization at Wright Patterson, plays a vital role in providing advanced technologies used in the development of weapon systems and other equipment. While we understand the importance of the research conducted on base, we also realize how much these activities directly impact the environment. Numerous programs have been developed to ensure that hazardous materials and waste products that could be potential pollution sources are safely stored, transported and disposed of properly. There are nearly 300 locations on base where hazardous materials or hazardous waste products are safely stored. To help track activities at these locations and to identify potential waste streams, Wright Patterson is conducting a Pollution Prevention Survey. This survey involves environmental specialists going into every base facility to determine the quantities and types of waste being generated there. The goal of this program is to prevent future pollution by reducing the use of hazardous materials and the quantity of hazardous wastes generated. Environmental programs, like the ones previously mentioned, need resources. And Wright Patterson has been successful in attracting top-notch experts to manage various programs as well as the necessary funds to finance this massive effort. Wright Patterson's Office of Environmental Management was established over six years ago in response to increased environmental emphasis. Today's EM organization, headed by a director and deputy director, consists of five branches including waste management, resource protection, radiation safety, restoration and a planning branch. A staff of about 50 scientists, engineers and other environmental specialists works to find solutions for past waste disposal practices and examine current and futuristic approaches to environmental technologies. Wright Patterson's environmental program is complex and diverse as we provide maintenance for the only entombed decommissioned nuclear reactor in the Air Force. This facility, also known as the Air Force Nuclear Engineering Center, was originally built to support the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program. We also have over 400 permitted laser devices authorized for use. The Level 2, one of the world's most powerful electric discharge carbon dioxide lasers, is used in materials testing on base. Wright Patterson has an abundance of natural, cultural and historic resources that provide numerous opportunities for enhancement activities. Dedicated to National Historic Landmark in 1990, the Huffman Prairie Flying Field has national significance as the site where the Wright Brothers mastered powered flight and operated one of the first schools of aviation. The flying field also is included in the sites for the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. This site is adjacent to the largest natural prairie in the state of Ohio. A base wide historic resources management plan is underway, which will include documentation of almost 400 facilities constructed prior to 1946 and the survey of high probability areas for prehistoric and historical archaeological sites. Wright Patterson's Medical Center, one of the Air Force's five regional medical centers, provides environmental specialists the opportunity to monitor an infectious waste program. The base is conducting one of the largest asbestos removal programs in this area. As a result of a base wide survey conducted in 1987, 381 facilities were identified as having contained asbestos. Polychlorinated biphenyls, more commonly known as PCBs, have been the focus of another major removal effort managed through the Office of Environmental Management. Environmental specialists working closely with base civil engineers have removed over 1600 PCB containing devices from the base and cleaned up over two million pounds of PCB waste being managed for correct disposal. Wright Patterson has an extensive inventory of underground storage tanks. We have over 220 tanks in the ground with the capacity for storing two million gallons of fuel. Recent projects include removing old tanks and replacing them with tanks equipped with state-of-the-art technology. We also have an aggressive drinking water protection program and take credit for having the first air strippers in the state of Ohio. These stripping towers are designed to remove volatile organic compounds from well water and keep the quality of our watering compliance with state standards. Environmental engineers and specialists in the Office of Environmental Management, Bioenvironmental and Civil Engineering Squadron work closely to ensure that base water is safe to drink. EM specialists also monitor the base's stormwater discharges. A regional groundwater study of the base and surrounding area is being conducted by the United States Geological Survey. The hydrogeologic study is the first of its kind and will serve as a model for use at other locations. Some of our most visible efforts are found in cleanup activities being conducted on past waste disposal sites. Over the years, innovative technologies have been used to help us gain a better understanding of areas requiring cleanup and restoration. As an example of what can be accomplished, Wright Patterson has constructed a seven million dollar groundwater treatment facility designed to prevent migration of contamination from base boundaries toward the city of Dayton's well fields. Continued cooperation and interface between base personnel, regulators, and members of the surrounding communities are key to the success of these programs. The Wright Patterson family is proud of its aviation heritage and its role as leaders in advanced aerospace technology. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and are dedicated in our efforts to restore, to protect, and to enhance valuable natural resources. We must continue to make smart decisions and to ensure that we have educated others so that their daily activities have nothing but a positive impact on the environment. We have moved from environmental protection because it's the law, we have moved to make it a way of life.