Whew! It's certainly a relief that we're making the air safe for the next evolutionary round of tetrapods.

Quoting again from the article:

Thus, if the Minuteman III ICBMs have to be used in some future nuclear war, their rocket motors will not pollute the atmosphere. EPA regulations do not apply in foreign countries, so no changes are being made to reduce the harmful environmental effects of the nuclear warheads.

Noting that EPA regulatory control does not apply to target countries beyond our borders (and thus beyond American airspace), let us walk with Dr. Strangelove a bit further.

Will friendly fuels be used in all three stages of the Minuteman III, or are they only in those stages that carry the nuclear warheads to the edge of US airspace? Let's keep those refurbishing expenses down, people.

If WW3 starts before all the rocket motors get swapped, can overflown states initiate environmental lawsuits against the US government (or its military contractors)? I'm seeing BIG secondary smoke dollars here.

Can the target countries -- we know that at least one lawyer will be left alive* -- claim air pollution damages as part of their nation-rebuilding efforts? Are we including these costs in our foreign aid budgets?

*Q. What do you call the last lawyer on Earth?
A. One too many.

Why not just move our Minutemans outside of US borders and avoid those pesky EPA regulations altogether? It might be cheaper, and could solve several other problems, too. For one thing, the missiles -- not ICBMs any more -- would be smaller, lighter, and use a lot less fuel, reducing the risk of air pollution even more.

And to keep everyone in line, will the Sierra Club be given any civilian oversight authority?