136th Year... and still on the job!	Thursday April 21, 2005

EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

AS CONGRESS was preparing legislation ordering the Defense Department to restore funding for chemical weapons destruction in Pueblo and Kentucky, the Pentagon freed previously appropriated money for the remainder of this fiscal year on Tuesday.

Undersecretary of Defense Michael Wynne also called off a study of alternatives that might have led to an attempt to change federal law and allow the 2,600 tons of mustard gas munitions to be shipped from Pueblo to an incinerator in another state.

Mr. Wynne’s order frees up $144 million in funds held over from fiscal 2004 and money still frozen in the 2005 budget. That’s welcome news.

Republican Sen. Wayne Allard said following the announcement he was glad the Department of Defense has finally “seen the light” and decided to move forward with the clean up of the weapons stockpile at Pueblo Chemical Depot and to destroy them here.

“Finally,” he said. “Common sense has prevailed. The Department of Defense has finally listened to my concerns and the concerns of the Pueblo community. Now we can focus on getting this project under way.”

Sen. Allard and Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar grilled Mr. Wynne during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing last week, pressing him for answers to why the Pueblo demilitarization was being stalled. We believe their full-court press finally got the Pentagon’s attention, and we commend them for it.

Mr. Wynne’s memo indicated the Defense Department will continue its redesign effort for the project, release all funding already appropriated and adjust its fiscal year 2007 budget plan to reflect renewed commitment to the project.

Meanwhile, supplemental appropriation legislation is still in the works which would require the program manager for the project to get it going within 120 days and would forbid the expenditure of the funding for Pueblo and Kentucky on any other program. With the Army’s history of bait and switch, that measure still should be passed, for it will give the senators a hammer over the military’s head.

However, we are happy that Mr. Wynne has heard the concerns of Pueblo, the community which has given this nation four Medal of Honor heroes. Pueblo deserves no less.