Military releases money to Kentucky, Colorado weapons sites

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will release enough money to allow progress at two chemical weapons disposal sites to inch forward, while significant cost-cutting measures are considered at both facilities.

The Pentagon authorized the release of $30 million to continue designing the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Ky., and $40 million to resume construction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colo., according to a Defense Department memo obtained by the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group.

The memo, signed by Under Secretary of Defense Michael W. Wynne, also authorized the "limited release" of other research and development money, though it did not specify how much.

The Pentagon confirmed the money had been released and stop-work orders at the sites had been lifted but did not respond to questions about the memo. Managers of the two sites said the release will allow work to continue until the end of September, when the next fiscal year begins.

The United States has about 24,000 tons of chemical weapons stockpiled in eight states, after destroying about 7,500 tons, according to Craig Williams, head of the CWWG. Under an international treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1997, the weapons must be destroyed by 2012.

Kentucky and Colorado are home to the only sites where destruction facilities haven't already been built. The military contends costs for the disposal program have grown too large.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has been a strong advocate for the Blue Grass facility, said this week's release was "inadequate and may have been an indication that they wanted to throw us a bone or something."

McConnell, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he has been working to ensure Congress provides enough money this year to keep the projects on track.

President Bush's budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 included $31 million for the two facilities this year, though critics say that is a fraction of what is needed.

The military is still holding about $330 million earmarked for the two sites, said U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky. His central Kentucky district includes the weapons depot.

"They're spending billions of dollars in Iraq chasing weapons of mass destruction, and we've got weapons of mass destruction on our doorstep, in our communities, and all we want is for them to dispose of them in a reasonable manner," Chandler said.

The memo asked the sites not to exceed cost estimates established in 2002. But Williams said the estimates - $1.5 billion for Pueblo and $2 billion for Blue Grass - had been accepted only as "placeholders" until more information about potential costs was available.

"The underlying message is that the Pentagon's ... priority is saving dollars, not getting the job done," he said.

The Blue Grass design was 60 percent complete, said Mickey Morales, a spokesman for Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, the contractor overseeing site work. But the Pentagon request to lower costs requires some of that work to be redone.

In Colorado, the announcement lifted a hold on construction. Site improvements, including installing fences and paving roads, will resume, site officials said.

"It is the first positive sign we've seen in a long time," said Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., about the release. "Pueblo has been patient, but they've waited long enough. It is time to get these projects going."

The Defense Department is also studying whether it would be cheaper to transport the weapons to other facilities, rather than destroying them on site, despite legal hurdles and strong opposition from lawmakers, advocates and area communities.

Frustrated by delays at Blue Grass and Pueblo, lawmakers have been using all means at their disposal to force the military to change its approach - filing bills, touring the facilities, questioning high-ranking military officials and passing resolutions that express their displeasure with the Pentagon's policies.

The idea, advocates say, is to grab military officials' attention to make sure the chemical weapons destruction program becomes a priority.

"Some of us in the delegation have to agitate, and others of us in the delegation have to work behind closed doors to try to get it done," said Chandler.