According to newly released Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documents, unexploded munitions, including chemical and biological weapons, at over 16,000 inactive military ranges present a major public health risk. Made available by the Washington-based public interest group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the documents also reveal that the Army Corps of Engineers and other military service organizations limit their ordnance range cleanup activities and "take ill-advised short-cuts to limit costs."

A spokesperson for PEER accused the EPA and the Defense Department of failing to address soil and groundwater contamination caused by unexploded munitions. The inactive ranges cover nearly 40 million acres of land across the United States. A full cleanup may cost the government anywhere from $14 billion to "several times" that amount according to the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.