136th Year... and still on the job!	Thursday January 27, 2005

Southern senators join Colorado to block chemical weapons transport study

By JOHN NORTON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Kentucky's U.S. Senate delegation and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., have joined Colorado's two senators and Southern Colorado's House member in a move to block funding for any more studies of transportation of chemical weapons.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., introduced a bill Wednesday and Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., offered a similar measure in the House to stop a $150,000 study ordered by the Army.

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Allard criticized the continuing delays in the destruction of the Pueblo Chemical Depot's stockpile of 2,600 tons of artillery shells and mortar rounds containing mustard agent, as well as weapons at other sites around the country.

"The program has . . . repeatedly stumbled and has not met the expectations of the international community, Congress, and most importantly, the people who live near these stockpiles," Allard said.

"The costs of the program have risen from $15 billion in 1997 to $24 billion in 2001, an increase of $9 billion in four years. Some have estimated that the program will cost as much as $30 billion by the time it is completed."

Allard and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., met last week with Defense Department officials who assured them the Pueblo stockpile would not be moved and that there was no plan to abandon the water neutralization method that would destroy the mustard agent. The next day, the Army ordered a study of its options, including moving the weapons.

"At that meeting, we requested that the Defense Department answer some questions and were promised a written response from Undersecretary of Defense Michael Wynne within three days," Allard said. "That meeting was held over a week ago and we have yet to receive a response.

"At least we in Congress can get a meeting," Allard added. "Members of the local community in Pueblo, Colo., have been trying to get an official from the Defense Department to meet with them to discuss the Pentagon's plans for weeks. Despite the fact that the Defense Department is trying to unilaterally shut down the design work at Pueblo, the Pentagon has not taken the time to meet with the residents who, if the Pentagon gets its way, will be forced to live for another 15 years near an aging stockpile housing three-quarters of a million chemical weapons."

Allard said that Kentucky's Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning are co-sponsoring the bill. The Defense Department has also blocked work on the water neutralization program for the mustard agent at the Blue Grass Army Depot in their state. The Army also has a controversial incineration plant at the Anniston, Ala., depot, in Shelby's home state.

Sen. Salazar also spoke in the Senate chamber Wednesday, saying he "cannot understand why the Department of Defense is shirking from their responsibility in this matter. Transporting these weapons would be dangerous, expensive and, frankly, illegal.

"This bill that we have brought to the floor will save time and money," he said.

His brother John, who introduced a similar bill in the House, also said he wanted to "stop the Department of Defense from using studies to open it up for interstate transfer. Transporting them across state lines, we have the risk of terrorism that we have to deal with. The folks of Pueblo have worked on this for many, many years and they deserve the jobs," he added.