Bill for radar-sites cleanup jumps to $583-million amid lax controls, audit says
SUE BAILEY AND JIM BRONSKILL Canadian Press December 22, 2008 at 4:45 AM EST
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OTTAWA — The cost of cleaning up 21 toxic Cold War radar stations across the North has more than doubled to $583-million amid lax controls, a scathing audit says.
Distant Early Warning Line sites that dot 5,000 kilometres of Arctic tundra are being dismantled as part of one of the largest environmental restoration efforts in North America.
Of prime concern are polychlorinated biphenyls - persistent pollutants once widely used in everything from transformers and electrical equipment to paint. PCBs have been effectively banned from commercial use since research in the 1970s suggested links to cancer.
The DEW Line stations, built in the 1950s to warn of incursions by Soviet bombers, soon became outmoded when intercontinental ballistic missiles emerged as a nuclear threat.
The storied installations were symbols of Cold War tensions in tiny northern enclaves such as Broughton Island, Cape Hooper and Mackar Inlet.
Equipment has so far been removed or buried at 14 locations in hopes of keeping contaminants out of the Arctic food chain. Cleanup is under way at six more sites, but the total costs of the project have soared.
Work that was to be completed this year at an estimated cost of $280-million has now been extended to 2018 with a new price tag of $583-million.
Internal auditors at the Department of National Defence, which is responsible for the sites, raised alarms in a recently published report. It analyzed the massive project between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2005.
Auditors acknowledged improvements in several areas but still offered this blunt conclusion: The project's "size, complexity, longevity and geographic dispersion create significant risk for DND with regards to ensuring effective stewardship and accountability for $583.3-million in public funds.
"It is recommended that the [cleanup] project team develop a risk management plan and finalize approval of an exit strategy conducive to effective project completion."
Auditors flagged the 1996 decision to name UMA Engineering Ltd. of Calgary as head contractor of the project with no competitive process.
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SUE BAILEY AND JIM BRONSKILL Canadian Press December 22, 2008 at 4:45 AM EST
Article Link
OTTAWA — The cost of cleaning up 21 toxic Cold War radar stations across the North has more than doubled to $583-million amid lax controls, a scathing audit says.
Distant Early Warning Line sites that dot 5,000 kilometres of Arctic tundra are being dismantled as part of one of the largest environmental restoration efforts in North America.
Of prime concern are polychlorinated biphenyls - persistent pollutants once widely used in everything from transformers and electrical equipment to paint. PCBs have been effectively banned from commercial use since research in the 1970s suggested links to cancer.
The DEW Line stations, built in the 1950s to warn of incursions by Soviet bombers, soon became outmoded when intercontinental ballistic missiles emerged as a nuclear threat.
The storied installations were symbols of Cold War tensions in tiny northern enclaves such as Broughton Island, Cape Hooper and Mackar Inlet.
Equipment has so far been removed or buried at 14 locations in hopes of keeping contaminants out of the Arctic food chain. Cleanup is under way at six more sites, but the total costs of the project have soared.
Work that was to be completed this year at an estimated cost of $280-million has now been extended to 2018 with a new price tag of $583-million.
Internal auditors at the Department of National Defence, which is responsible for the sites, raised alarms in a recently published report. It analyzed the massive project between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2005.
Auditors acknowledged improvements in several areas but still offered this blunt conclusion: The project's "size, complexity, longevity and geographic dispersion create significant risk for DND with regards to ensuring effective stewardship and accountability for $583.3-million in public funds.
"It is recommended that the [cleanup] project team develop a risk management plan and finalize approval of an exit strategy conducive to effective project completion."
Auditors flagged the 1996 decision to name UMA Engineering Ltd. of Calgary as head contractor of the project with no competitive process.
More on link
