138th Year... and still on the job!	Thursday February 01, 2007

Hardball

EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

ONCE AGAIN, Sen. Wayne Allard has come to the rescue of the chemical weapons destruction program at Pueblo Chemical Depot, this time by playing hardball.

Last June, he was able to get $42 million for the project in the appropriations bill. However, Congress adjourned without passing the appropriation, leaving the program with its past scant funding level.

Now, however, the federal government is facing a shutdown on Feb. 15 if Congress does not pass a continuing resolution. Sen. Allard and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told the House Appropriations Committee this week they would fight the resolution in the Senate if the representatives didn't include the $42 million for Pueblo and another $131 million for the Blue Grass Army Depot's chemical demilitarization program.

Apparently there are enough long memories in the House leadership who recall how, when the Newt Gingrich-led Republicans threatened to blame President Bill Clinton for a government shutdown, Mr. Clinton turned the tables on them and blamed Congress. So, even now that the Democrats control both houses of Congress and Sens. Allard and McConnell are Republicans, the members in the lower house apparently don’Äôt want to take the blame for a government shutdown.

Of course, nothing is certain in these political maneuverings, but Sen. Allard said this week that the Pueblo depot "has initially dodged a bullet."

During last year's budget debate, Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado attached an amendment requiring the Pentagon to destroy the mustard agent weapons at the Pueblo depot by April 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Both Colorado senators have been doggedly pursuing both the funds and the Army's commitment to get the job done. Under international treaty, the United States is legally committed to destroying the chemical arsenal by 2012 - if at all possible - after perennial delays.

Each year's delay has raised the cost of the demil project exponentially. It's time for both houses of Congress to get on the same page and move the chemical demilitarization program back on track.