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Bush budget sets aside $26 million for depot
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President Bush designated $26 million out of his $2.9 trillion budget proposal Monday to pay for a new industrial water treatment facility at the Anniston Army Depot. Building a new facility has been a priority for Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, a member of the Armed Services Committee, who said the budget funding did not come as a surprise, though it is important. "I've been pretty optimistic in the last couple of weeks," he said, explaining that the money should be enough to cover the entire cost of the project. "Being in the president's budget is the biggest hurdle. If it's not in there, it's hard to get in there." If funding is approved, Rogers said, construction will not interrupt operations at the current treatment facility because the new one will be built a few hundred yards away. Rogers said building a new facility will fulfill a crucial need at the depot because there is a lot of industrial waste at the depot that results from cleaning and refurbishing tanks. Thus far, he said, officials have been working with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to meet temporary requirements allowing the treatment facility to remain open. "A lot of people don't understand how close we are to shutting this down," Rogers said. A new facility strengthens the future of the depot, he said. "If you can't grow you can't survive." In October, Rogers toured the depot with then-Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, and Rogers said at the time replacing the wastewater and sewage treatment facilities were top priorities. Rogers said he is still working with the Anniston Water Works and Sewer Board to expand its water treatment facility. Since October, however, Congress has changed hands and Hunter is no longer chairman with Republicans in the minority in the House. Joan Gustafson, public affairs officer for the depot, said she was cautiously optimistic funding "will make it through the entire budget review process," though the depot is always appreciative of congressional support. Despite the new balance of power in Congress, Rogers said he believes representatives on both sides of the aisle will recognize "the essential depot need" this spring when Armed Services hearing begin. "It's never done until the hay is in the barn," he said. "(But) I feel good about the prospects in the budget." |
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