EARTH DAY 2025: HHS' KENNEDY Jr., DoD's HEGSETH, EPA's ZELDIN Combine Talents to Reduce Military Harm to Ecology, Health
After years of adverse US Defense ecological practice reports, HHS' KENNEDY Jr. DoD's HEGSETH, EPA's ZELDIN to Combine Talents, 'Tackle Ignored Pollution'
'..decades of Military (DoD) resistance to follow binding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Final Clean Up Orders, putting soldiers and communities at risk.'— RUQAIYAH ZAROOK, Mother Jones
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2025 / EINPresswire.com / -- As the world celebrates the 55th Earth Day, there are growing concerns of U.S. federal authorities inducing environmental degradation of public properties, according to STEVE SPACEK, Director of The AMERICAN STATE LITTER SCORECARD. In the last 25 years, one federal authority group--the U.S. Military and its membership--have come under scrutiny as contributors to this conundrum.
Now, newly appointed leaders for the Trump Administration-- HHS Secretary ROBERT F. KENNEDY, Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH and Environmental Protection Secretary LEE ZELDIN-- are joining forces, combining their talents to reduce, even eliminate, glaring ecological and health harms from military bases and adjacent public lands.
Since the 2000's MOTHER JONES journalist Ruqaiyah Zarook, THE WASHINGTON POST Lyndsey Layton, NBC NEWS and THE SPOKANE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW have reported on adverse Department of Defense 's (DoD) environmental practices by Active Duty personnel. Zarook wrote of 'decades of Military resistance' to follow binding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 'Final Clean Up Orders,'' putting 'soldiers and communities at risk.' Layton disclosed congressional hearing findings released by the late John Dingell, then-chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, investigating DoD non-compliance with environmental regulation, Dingell said then, the U.S. Military 'evaded the law through political maneuvers.' Additionally, NBC NEWS and THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW exposed several Army and Air Force bases across the United States found to 'have high levels of toxic Forever Chemicals in their drinking water, …posing as an imminent, substantial danger to the health of personnel and civilians.'
KENNEDY Jr. has been an outspoken observer of Armed Forces comportment in regards to America's public health and the environment. In a 2003 article published in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Kennedy, then only a non-governmental public figure, alleged that the U.S. Federal Government was 'America's Biggest Polluter,' with the Pentagon (DoD) being 'its worst offender.' Kennedy purported Defense for 'contaminating over 15 million acres of public land and water with unexploded ordinance waste, possibly containing biological or chemical weapons.'
Last November 14, CBS EVENING NEWS reported on Kennedy's HHS nomination and his intent to work alongside Hegseth--to be later confirmed as Defense Secretary. Kennedy and Hegseth shared their plan to implement a new operational mantra for the Military. Together they dubbed the plan "#MakeThePentagonCleanAgain.' Both told of their 'readiness to work' with Zeldin, a newly confirmed EPA Secretary, 'to tackle ignored pollution.'
The following month, Spacek reached out to Kennedy and Hegseth for their thoughts on these developments, using phone calls and emails. Within 48 hours Kennedy and Hegseth responded personally to Spacek, with written feedback, acknowledging the accuracy of their publicized comments, including the created Pentagon operational slogan. In return, Spacek sent a post from his X.com account [@litterscorecard], congratulating both and wishing the officials the very best for the Trump Administration and the Department of Defense.
The AMERICAN STATE LITTER SCORECARD is 'The Best at Reporting Where, Whose Is Littering and Dumping Waste in the USA,,' said Spacek. Waste Littering and Dumping does assist in ending the lives of over 800 People EACH YEAR; on average three Americans A DAY. 'These incidents can occur anytime, under all types of weather,' said Spacek. He also mentioned The SCORECARD timely reports on these matters and from all 50 States and major US Cities and Counties.
Stephen 'Steve' Spacek
American State Litter Scorecard/Spacek Public Service
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