A stop work order at Pueblo Chemical Depot worries local officials as well as U.S. Senator Ken Salazar.  The Depot is in line for about a billion dollars worth of construction to destroy thousands of tons of chemical warfare weapons stored east of Pueblo. 

The Department of Defense says it wants to consider all options to reduce the cost, including transportation to another out-of-state site for incineration.

Salazar says, "That's very contrary to what they told us." Salazar said he was told the plan to build a disposal facility in Pueblo County would proceed as planned.  Depot Site Project Manager Gary Anderson told News First the Army wants to look into reducing the cost, "They will go back and look at a study to find out what kind of options there are about transporting these chemical munitions to another site."  Salazar responded, "It can't be an alternative because it's illegal under the law to transport these chemicals at this point in time."

The only way around the federal law against transporting chemical weapons-in this case mustard agent-would be to get an executive order from the president, or a change in the law.

Former Pueblo County Commissioner John Klomp, who has worked for years on this project, said, "It's a very bad message for the Department of Defense to send to the Pueblo community."

The federal government has agreed in a treaty to have all its chemical weapons destroyed by 2012.  The Department of Defense should make a recommendation at the end of March.