Kentucky Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board
105 Fifth Street
Suite 206
Richmond, KY 40475
Phone: 859 - 624-4700
                 859 - 986-7565     

The Honorable Mitch McConnell                                                                             October 12,  2004
United States Senate
361 A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510


Dear Senator,


After almost twenty years of debate, study and discussion, the method to be used to destroy Kentucky's stockpile of chemical weapons was decided early last year. We sincerely appreciate your continued focus and involvement in this issue and your tireless efforts on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
    
We are now poised to move forward with this $2 billion disposal project with an extraordinary spirit of cooperation at all levels.  However, just as things appear to be gearing up, disturbing information has come to our attention indicating that the Department of Defense (DOD) may curtail funding for the Kentucky disposal project, setting it back--possibly by years.
    
As you know, there are only two sites within the national demilitarization program that fall under the authority of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program, Kentucky and Colorado.  Last year's budget request for chemical demilitarization at Colorado was cut from the $152 million, which was needed to execute the project, to $5 million.  Subsequently an additional $50 million was reprogrammed back into the project, but even these funds appear to be in jeopardy.

Following this, on 4 September 2004, the Pentagon directed ACWA to suspend all design work at the Colorado facility.

More worrisome is the language contained in various memoranda associated with these Colorado developments, wherein specific references are made to similar actions being taken in the near future at the Kentucky site.  Given the recent cessation of design work in Colorado,  it is very likely that Kentucky's funding may be cut severely, or even eliminated, in fiscal year 2006 and beyond unless action is taken.  From our perspective, an ominous precedent appears to have been set --using ACWA sites to pay other bills within the larger program.

For more than 18 years, Pentagon officials have consistently identified the risk of continuing to store these weapons as greater than that of disposal. They have also, even prior to the horrendous events of 9/11, identified the threat of sabotage or theft of these materials as a serious risk.  That threat is certainly elevated as we fight the war on terrorism.

Obviously, in this current international climate, our Homeland Security efforts are hindered by continued storage of chemical weapons.  Yet, Pentagon officials continue to place a secondary order of priority on the chemical demilitarization program in general, and more recently on the ACWA sites in particular. We know you would agree that this is not acceptable.
    
Under these circumstances, we, the undersigned, urge you to communicate the need for adequate and full funding of the chemical weapons disposal project nationally and particularly in Kentucky.
    
While we all understand the budgetary constraints within the Pentagon due to the war in Iraq and other matters,  now is not the time to allow our own weapons of mass destruction to languish in American communities.  Just the opposite--now is the time to make quickly and safely ridding U.S. citizens of this grave risk a top priority.

The only way to achieve this is to fully fund the demilitarization program at all storage locations, including Kentucky.  Not doing so will extend the risk posed to Kentucky communities and make it impossible to fulfill America’s obligations under the international Chemical Weapons Convention.   

We therefore call upon you and your Kentucky Congressional colleagues, as our elected representatives in Washington, to send a clear message to the Acting Undersecretary of Defense (A,L&T), Mr. Michael Wynne, to submit a budget to Congress for 2006 and beyond that will provide the funds necessary to complete the chemical weapons destruction program nationally and especially the project in Kentucky.
    
We stand ready to assist in the execution of this project in any way possible and know that you will continue to work to ensure everything necessary will be done towards a successful completion of the mission.
    
We thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance in this matter and look forward to hearing from you as progress is made towards this common sense goal.

Sincerely,

Kent Clark
Madison County Judge Executive, Kent Clark, Co-Chair

Craig Williams
Chemical Weapons Working Group, Director, Craig Williams, Co-Chair

On behalf of themselves and :

Dr. Robert Bagby - Richmond Civic Representative
120 Pleasant Ridge Dr.
Richmond, KY 40475

Rev. Robert Blythe - Madison County NAACP
1006 Altamont St.
Richmond, KY 40475

Rev. David Bohannon - Richmond Ministerial Association
621 South Keeneland Dr.
Richmond, KY 40475

Dr. Byron Bond - Eastern Kentucky University
521 Lancaster Avenue, Perkins 202
Richmond, KY 40475

Mr. Mike Brewer  - Commissioner, City of Richmond
P.O. Box 250
Richmond, KY 40476-0250

Mr. Mike Caudill - Madison County Board of Education
P.O. Box 768
Richmond, KY 40476-0768
Mr. Gary Conkin - Berea Board of Education
3 Pirate Parkway
Berea, KY 40403

Ms. Jill Cornelison - Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center
P.O. Box 1600
Richmond, KY 40476-1600

Ms. Jeanne Hibberd - Berea Civic Representative
580 Scaffold Cane Road
Berea, KY 40403

Dr. Doug Hindman - Chair, Kentucky Citizen’s Advisory Commission
300 Center Street
Berea, KY 40403

Ms. Mary Kemper - Berea Hospital
305 Estill St.
Berea, KY 40403

Ms. Diane Kerby- Berea College
CPO 2211
Berea, KY 40403

Dr. Robert Miller - Kentucky Citizen’s Advisory Commission
416 Bethlehem Road
Dreyfus, KY 40385-9513

Representative Harry Moberly - Kentucky House of Representatives
P.O. Box 721
Richmond, KY 40476-0721

Mr. Carlis Richards - Director, Madison County CSEPP
c/o Madison County Emergency Management Agency
560 South Keeneland Drive
Richmond, KY 40475

Mr. Rob Rumpke - Richmond Chamber of Commerce
201 East Main Street
Richmond, KY 40475

Ms. Teresa Scenters - Berea Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 207
Berea, KY 40403

Senator Ed Worley - Kentucky State Senate
P.O. Box 659
Richmond, KY 40475

Councilman George Wyatt - City of Berea
225 Byron Avenue
Berea, KY 40403