UXOInfo.com released the May 2008 edition of the UXO E-Newsletter. To view the May UXO E-Newsletter, use the following link:

May 2008 UXO E-Newsletter

The USACE Baltimore District issued the presolicitation notice for the long awaited Multiple Award Military Munitions Services (MAMMS) contract. Two presolicitation notices were issued, one set-aside for small business and one unrestricted (i.e. open to large and small businesses). The total funding capacity for the MAMMS contract is estimated at $300M to be awarded under as many as 11 separate contracts.

The scope of the contracts to be awarded are for "various Military Munitions (MM) & Environmental Remediation Services in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District MM Design Center as well as the Baltimore Districts MM remedial and removal missions. The primary focus of the MAMMS contracts is on "environmental projects that are contaminated with Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) or Munitions Constituents (MC)". A summary of the anticipated small business set-aside and unrestricted awards under MAMMS is provided below.

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Washington, D.C. The current version of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Reported in House Bill H.R. 5658) has an interesting new requirement related the use of military munitions. Section 359 "Sense of Congress Regarding Procurement and Use of Munitions" requires the Secretary of Defense to undertake a review of live-fire practices for the purpose of reducing UXO and munitions constituent contamination without impeding military readiness.

UXOInfo.com will continue to track the FY09 Defense Authorization Act as it makes it way through Congress to see if this new reporting requirement makes it into law.

Washington, D.C. The current version of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Reported in House  H.R. 5658) has an interesting new requirement related to the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP). Section 345 of HR 5658 "Comptroller General Report of Adequacy of Funding, Staffing, and Organization of the DoD MMRP" states:

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Port Seton, Scotland Tow fishermen on board a fishing trawler were shocked when they discovered an old WW II era munition caught up in one of their fish nets. The munition was described as a 4 foot long device with exposed wiring. Concerned about their safety, the men called the Coastguard for assistance. The Coastguard safely escorted the vessel out to sea and set up an exclusion zone to keep other vessels away.

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Denver, Colorado Air quality tests conducted during the installation of groundwater monitoring wells at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal indicated low levels of lewisite. The well installation work was being conducted in a restricted area of the installation where chemical agents were disposed of several decades earlier.

As a safety precaution workers were reportedly wearing protective gear during the installation of the well. There were no reports of injuries but well installation work has been suspended in the area.

Sequoia National Park, California workers conducting cleanup and renovation work inside Crystal Cave, a popular tourist attraction, found evidence of old explosives. Workers reported seeing two wires sticking out a broomstick-sized hole that was drilled into a wall of the cave. The wires were attached to a blasting cap, which the workers safely assumed to be live. Upon the discovery of the items, workers and tourists were evacuated from the area and the cave was closed.

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Left Hand Canyon, Colorado Police were called to the house of a 96-year old woman that recently passed away after an old wooden dynamite box was found by a neighbor. The box was labeled "DuPont Explosives, High Explosives" and had a date stamp of Oct. 9, 1950 on it.

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Waupun, Milwaukee The Milwaukee Bomb Squad received a call from the Waupun Heritage Museum after a visitor questioned the safety of military memorabilia in a display case. The memorabilia included two Civil War cannon balls, two mortars, a large projectile and an explosive bullet manufactured in the early 1890s.

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Vieques, Puerto Rico Chelsea Clinton has been very busy actively campaigning for her mother's presidential race. With the Puerto Rico primary scheduled for June 1, Chelsea has been very busy planning campaign stops throughout area. In her planning, Chelsea made a request to the Navy to access Vieques. Her purpose for accessing the former range area was not reported. The Navy denied Chelsea access to the range due to safety concerns associated with UXO and because U.S. law forbids campaigning on federal property.