Business
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Wednesday February 25, 2004
John Klomp had hoped to deliver some good news at tonight's meeting of the Community Advisory Commission on the chemical demilitarization program, but as of Tuesday afternoon there was nothing to report.
Klomp said that the National Research Council, an agency that works with the Pentagon, was still reviewing design alternatives and had asked for more time.
Officials involved with the program think that if it can be restructured, the Pentagon might be willing to recommend restoration of some of the $147 million stripped from the Pueblo program in the president's fiscal 2005 budget.
While recommending increased spending for other weapons facilities using incinerators to destroy banned and aging substances, the Army singled out Pueblo, where an environmentally friendly water-based method will be used, for large budget cuts.
Klomp said he doesn't know why that happened and said there's no evidence supporting local theories that Pueblo is being punished for holding up the weapons destruction while it fought for the water-based method.
Bechtel officials and others have been meeting with the research council to go over possible changes in the way the 2,600 tons of mustard agent will be destroyed. Local officials have been assured, however, that the council is not recommending anything other than the water-based method now being planned.
The Community Advisory Commission meets at 6 p.m. at the Pueblo Convention Center.