Defense Environment Alert
an exclusive biweekly report on defense policies for cleanup, compliance and pollution prevention


Vol. 12, No. 1--January 13, 2004


GAO BACKS PROPOSED MERGER OF ACWA, OTHER CHEM DEMIL PROGRAMS

The General Accounting Office (GAO) is endorsing the proposed merger of two chemical weapons destruction programs, provided certain improvements are made to a consolidated program. The endorsement backs a position taken by some in DOD's chemical demilitarization oversight office, but is counter to the setup established by congressional proponents of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program.

Congress, several years ago, specifically mandated ACWA be kept within the Office of the Secretary of Defense chain of command because of concems that the Army was unwilling to explore non-incineration destruction technologies for assembled chemical weapons. And as recent as 2002, lawmakers have called for ACWA retaining management of assembled chemical weapons destruction at the sites where non-incineration methods have been chosen. The Army, through the Chemical Materials Agency (CMA), oversees destruction of chemical weapons at the other stockpile chemical weapons sites, but at an Oct. 30, 2003, House hearing, DOD official Pat Wakefield submitted a statement recommending absorbing ACWA within CMA, saying it would further streamline management of the program (Defense Environment Alert, Nov. 4, 2003, p4).

"While our previous work has not commented on whether the ACWA program should be consolidated with the rest of the program, we believe that consolidating these two programs could result in some improvements in program management, provided that the consolidated program also develops and implements an overarching strategy and implementation plan," GAO's Henry L. Hinton Jr. says in a Jan. 5 response to post-hearing questions submitted by Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ). "While consolidation should provide a number of benefits - such as simplifying the management structure, reducing duplication of efforts, and improving coordination and communication - these benefits will be limited if the program does not successfully develop a roadmap for success." Hinton is managing director for defense capabilities and management at GAO. Hinton's written response is available on InsideEPA.com. Seepage 2 for details.