20060527F 001 011 2023

FOIA RELEASE

AI Summary

This document is a memorandum addressed to the President regarding a Presidential Determination that exempts the United States Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada, from certain hazardous and solid waste laws that would require the disclosure of classified information. The exemption was issued in the context of litigation concerning the government's compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Key Findings

- The Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake is exempt from hazardous waste laws requiring disclosure of classified information. - The exemption was granted to protect national security and classified information. - The report is a requirement under the RCRA to notify Congress of exemptions granted in the previous year. - The determination was coordinated with the Departments of Defense, Justice, and the EPA.

OCR Text

2006-0527-F FOI MARKER Document ID: 9600475 'A1 Row: 46 Shelf: 11 A Section: 2 Position: 2 This is not a textual record. This is used as an administrative marker by the Clinton Presidential Library Staff. Original OA/ID Number: 2327 Stack: v TO: PRESIDENT CHRON FILE CONGRESSIONAL KEYWORDS: PERSONS: SUBJECT: DUE DATE: 30 JAN 96 STATUS: C ACTION: PRESIDENT SGD PER WH EXEC CLERK LOGREF: STAFF OFFICER: BAKER CODES: NSCP: FILES: WH DISTRIBUTION DOCUMENT FOR CONCURRENCE FOR ACTION COMMENTS: W/ATTCH BY HAND DATE DISPATCHED BY 3 DOC 3 OF CLOSED BY: NSKDB OPENED BY: NSGP UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED NSC/RMO PROFILE FROM: LAKE GRIFFIN, P RPT TO CONGRESS ON PRES EXEMPTION RE OPERATING LOCATION NEAR GROOM LAKE DOC DATE: 30 JAN 96 SOURCE REF: LEGAL ISSUES AIR FORCE RECORD ID: 9600475 RECEIVED: 26 JAN 96 15 FOR INFO BAKER BELL DANVERS KRECZKO NSC CHRON I * RECORD ID: 9600475 CAO ASSIGNED ACTION REQUIRED DOC ACTION OFFICER DISPATCH DATA SUMMARY REPORT DISPATCH FOR INFO DISPATCH FOR ACTION DATE DOC UNCLASSIFIED 003 003 UNCLASSIFIED ACTION DATA SUMMARY REPORT Z Z Z X 960130 960130 VICE PRESIDENT WH CHIEF OF STAFF 96012615 PREPARE MEMO FOR LAKE 96012915 FWD TO PRESIDENT FOR SIG 96013011 FOR SIGNATURE 96013117 PRESIDENT SGD PER WH EXEC CLERK 001 BAKER 002 LAKE 003 PRESIDENT 003 £>17^ LOG# PROOFED BY: LOG# PROOFED BY: SYSTEM NSC INT INT NSC SYSTEM URGENT NOT PROOFED: BYPASSED WW DESK: DOCLOG A/0 BYPASSED WW DESK: DISPOSITION INITIAL7DATEDISPOSITION SEQUENCE TO INITIAL/DATE SEQUENCE TO Harmon Harmon Dohse Dohse Sens Sens 23 Ao Soderberg Soderberg Berger Berger Lake Lake Situation Room Situation Room West Wing Desk West Wing Desk Records Mgt. Records Mgt. A = Action I = Information D = DispatchR - Retain N = No Further Action N = No Further Action R = Retain D = Dispatch I - Information A = Action cc: cc: I COMMENTS: COMMENTS: .■ t i v r. ? i 31 ' Exec Sec Office has diskette j. ^2 Exec Sec Office has diskette / d- National Security Council The White House Natl Sec Advisor ___has span___ DOCLOG A/O tc'd 'Iso National Security Council The White House I r URGENT NOT PROOFED: 7] /] 0475 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON ACTION THE EXECUTIVE CLERK THROUGH: lA^^ FROM: SUBJECT: Purpose Background (the operating location) from any Nevada, near Groom Lake Federal, State, interstate or local provision respecting cone and abatement of solid waste or hazardous waste disposal that would require the disclosure of classified information" to unauthorized persons. A, you are required to report each January to the all exemptions granted during the previous year and the RECOMMENDATION That you sign the attached letters. On September 29, you exempted the Air Force operating location jm Lake, Nevada, (the operating location) "from any State, interstate or local provision respecting control Letter to Speaker of the House Letter to President of the Senate 11 • The exemption was granted in the context of litigation over the Government's compliance with RCRA at the operating location. Attachments Tab A Tab B , in addition to noting that the exemption to protect national security (without providing This report has been coordinated with the Departments of Defense and Justice as well as the EPA. To report to the Congress pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). January 30, 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Under RCRA Congress <_ reasons for doing so. was necessary L details), the report indicates that the exemption was not intended to limit the applicability or enforcement of any requirement of law applicable to the operating location except those provisions, if any, that would require disclosure of classified information. cc: Vice President Chief of Staff ANTHONY LAKM( / PATRICK GRIFFIN'.^' Report to Congress on the Presidential Exemption Concerning the Operating Location Near Groom Lake al, State, interstate, or local hazardous or solid waste, that might require the disclosure of classified information v. Sincerely, THE WHITE HOUSE WASH I NGTON Dear Mr. Speaker: Consistent with section 6001(a) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (the "Act"), as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 6961(a), notification is hereby given that on September 29, 1995, I issued Presidential Determination 95-45 (copy attached) and thereby exercised the authority to grant certain exemptions under section 6001(a) of the Act. Presidential Determination No. 95-45 exempted the United States Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada, from any Federal, State, interstate, or local hazardous or.solid waste, laws that might require the disclosure of classified information concerning that operating location to unauthorized persons. Information concerning activities at the operating location near Groom Lake has been properly determined to be classified, and its disclosure would be harmful to national security. Continued protection of this information is, therefore, in the paramount …

Metadata

Agency
—
Classification
UNCLASSIFIED
Department
NARA
Confidence85
Credibility90

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