136th Year... and still on the job!	Sunday January 30, 2005

What will it take?

EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

SEN. WAYNE Allard was joined by fellow U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and 3rd District Rep. John Salazar last week in sponsoring legislation to preclude the Army from conducting a study of the feasibility of transporting mustard gas munitions from Pueblo to another side for destruction.

In the grand scheme of things, the Army’s proposed $150,000 “study” is small taters. The Army’s announcement that it was planning to conduct the study appeared to be its version of a sharp stick in the eye of anyone who questions the Pentagon’s actions.

The two senators from Colorado had been assured earlier by Defense Department officials that the weapons at Pueblo Chemical Depot would not be moved. The next day it was learned that another Army memo had ordered a halt on construction work here for 90 days while the Army conducts its study.

This latest turn of events is just the latest in a never-ending series of delays before demilitarization of the weapons can begin. Last year the Pentagon budget request gutted funding for design work on the Pueblo facility, and even after Sen. Allard was able to restore some of the money, the Pentagon issued an order to stop all design work.

This month another order stopped all preliminary construction work on roads, support buildings and infrastructure. Sen. Allard, who has had the lead with the Colorado delegation in this matter, has had enough.

Last week he rose on the floor of the Senate and 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.

“The time schedule has experienced unconscionable delays. Last year, the cleanup at Pueblo was expected to be completed by 2011. The (Defense) Department’s latest budget decision has pushed date all the way back to 2021, nine years after the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty deadline.

“Numerous safety incidents have occurred at operational sites, shutting down one facility for nine months. Poor contracting has resulted in the shutting down of another facility, which is now costing the federal government $300,000 a day to keep operationally ready. It was hardly a surprise then when the President’s own management assessment last year labeled this program as being ineffective.

“On top of these numerous problems, the Department of Defense has failed to fully communicate its intentions to either Congress or the local community.”

Who knows how safe the aging weapons will be when the Army finally gets around to doing something with them? Meanwhile, without work on depot infrastructure, the place will continue to fall into further disrepair.

What’s it going to take to get the Army off the dime, a full-blown Senate investigation? This state of affairs should not be allowed to continue.