136th Year... and
still on the job!
Tuesday January 18,
2005
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136th Year... and
still on the job!
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Tuesday January 18,
2005
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U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., sent a letter to Pentagon officials Monday urging them to attend the January meeting of the citizens advisory commission for Pueblo Chemical Depot to explain the Army's apparent decision to eliminate most of the 2005 budget for building a water-based weapons destruction system at the depot.
It was reported last week that the Army intends to divert money away from the new destruction systems until 2012. Last year, the Pentagon shifted nearly all of the $150 million planned for the project to other programs, although Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., fought that move.
Salazar, the new 3rd District congressman, sent a letter to Army Undersecretary Michael Wynne urging Pentagon officials to explain their plans to the community, either at a town meeting or to the citizens advisory panel that has been working with Army officials to build the previously approved $1.7 billion neutralization process.
"I am confident that after meeting with the local community, the Defense Department will reach the same conclusion that I have, that it must move ahead with the plans to destroy the chemical weapons stored at Pueblo," Salazar said.
John Klomp, chairman of the citizens committee, said the panel asked the Army to attend its November meeting to explain its future plans, but Pentagon officials did not come. "We invited them two weeks ahead of time but I was told they got the invitation too late," Klomp said Monday.
Allard also has encouraged the Army to meet with Pueblo officials to explain the recent budget efforts to delay the project.
Pentagon officials have complained that Bechtel was selected to build the new water-based destruction system, the projected cost has grown to $2.6 billion. The contractor says that's because the Army ordered acceleration of the planning after the 9/11 attacks.