THOMAS M. DAVIS 11TH DISTRICT, VIRGINIA Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515-4611 REP. TOM DAVIS STATEMENT: JULY 27, 2001 Thank you Chairman Morella for your leadership in holding this important and timely hearing. The extent of toxic waste contamination in the Spring Valley section of the Nation's Capital is truly shocking. It is astonishing that we still do not have clear answers after 83 years of speculation and inquiry by Federal and local officials. I am grateful that the District of Columbia Subcommittee is bringing key parties together today where they can testify under oath to Congress about the facts. What we do know is stunning. There is clearly a lot of explaining to do in the course of congressional efforts to aggressively pursue this PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER matter. We need to know the nature of information previously reported, any health and environmental risks, and actions taken or contemplated by appropriate officials. I am stunned to learn that even today we apparently do not know how much and where munitions and laboratory materials were buried during World War 1! What we have learned is not such as to build confidence. To cite just one dispute, the D.C. Department of Consumer Affairs has challenged a report by the Army Corps of Engineers which concluded that there were no risks posed. A task force including the Environmental Protection Agency was formed to resolve this key issue. Subsequently, hazardous materials were discovered and there is not yet a determination by the D.C. government concerning any health and environmental risks. Moreover, all the properties have not yet been tested! I understand that there are proposals on the table to resolve this complex and tragic matter. Clearly time is of the essence, as evidence of possible severe adverse consequences continues to mount. I look forward to working with federal and local stakeholders and 2 As requested in your letter of August 21, 2001 to American University President Benjamin Ladner, we are sending to you responses to the questions you raised. Thank you for the opportunity to respond, and please let us know if you need additional information. Sincerely, David 3. Jayla David E. Taylor President's Chief of Staff 77-354 D-11 OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 4400 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20016-8060 SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Responses of Benjamin Ladner President, American University September 5, 2001 1. American University plays many roles in the Spring Valley situation. Describe its role as a landowner-how much of its campus was used by the military during World War I, how much property and where has the University since sold – such as the Korean Ambassador's residence? American University currently owns approximately 76 acres on its main campus. In 1917, the University owned approximately 90 acres, and all 90 acres were given over to the U.S. Army in 1917 for use during World War I. The 90 acres consisted of the main campus (then, approximately 59 acres); the current Cassell site (approximately 5.8 acres); the current Wesley Seminary plot (approximately 9 acres); undeveloped land along Glenbrook Road (approximately 3 acres); small plots around AU Park; and the Wesley Heights property, including the current plot of The United Methodist Church. AŬ donated approximately 9 acres to Wesley Seminary, and purchased approximately 8 acres that is now the Nebraska Avenue Parking Lot. In 1986, the University sold approximately 3/4 acre of undeveloped land to the Republic of Korea for expansion of the ambassador's residence garden. In 1992, the AU sold approximately two acres to Glenbrook Limited Partnership. In 1994 the University re-purchased from the Glenbrook Limited Partnership, approximately one acre of that land, along with the recently constructed home that is now the residence of the University President. 2. Do you feel safe living in the house provided to you by the University? Does your family live there with you? Have you or your family members undergone any medical tests to ensure you have not been exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic or other chemicals? Yes, I do feel safe at the 4835 Glenbrook Road residence, where my wife and I live. Neither of us has undergone special medical tests for arsenic. 3. When the University entered into the agreement with the U.S. Department of War, did the University sign any kind of agreement wairing any daims against the Department of War? We are not aware of any waiver executed by the University when it entered into an agreement with the Army in 1917, allowing the War Department to use campus property. In March and June 1920, after the Army had been ordered to and represented that it had transferred all munitions, materiel, and other chemical matter to a military facility in Maryland (which we found out |