An organization called the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (P-E-E-R) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Tyndall Air Force Base. The lawsuit stems from a complaint filed in August 2006, claiming Tyndall officials routinely allowed water pollution, wetlands violations and other breaches of resource protection laws, including those safeguarding cultural artifacts.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigation conducted a review of the complaint, which was completed in November 2007. P-E-E-R requested a copy of the report, but claims the Air Force has not complied. So, it filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The lawsuit claims Tyndall commanders allowed environmental violations to go uncorrected and unpunished. P-E-E-R also claims Tyndall has refused the Environmental Protection Agency's request to sign an agreement governing the clean-up of a SuperFund site on the base.

And the group claims some of the base's own environmental staff has won 1-and-a-half million dollars in lawsuit settlements because of on-the-job retaliation. One peer official described Tyndall as a military version of Las Vegas - what happens on the base, stays on the base.