A Pentagon official says a proposed 15 percent cut to the Defense Department's (DOD) fiscal year 2013 cleanup budget for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), a program long criticized for having a backlog of cleanups, will force DOD to reprioritize work at the sites, though sources say funds remaining from past years will limit slowdowns.
The planned cuts to the FUDS program -- one of several DOD cleanup programs facing cuts in FY13 -- are prompting state environmental organizations to consider urging Congress to provide "adequate" funds for the program, a state source says.