136th Year... and
still on the job!
Friday June 25, 2004
|
|
||
|
|
136th Year... and
still on the job!
|
Friday June 25, 2004
|
|
|
Sen. Wayne Allard |
John Klomp |
Pueblo County scored a victory this week when the U.S. Senate endorsed continued funding for the destruction of chemical weapons at the Pueblo Army Depot.
U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., announced in a press release Thursday that the Senate approved the Department of Defense's authorization bill, which includes the $147 million needed to continue preparations for destroying and cleaning up 2,600 tons of mustard agent weapons at the depot.
The Senate vote on Wednesday was 97-0.
"This defense authorization bill signals a continuing commitment on the part of the U.S. Senate to maintain momentum in the Pueblo Depot cleanup project," Allard wrote.
"Combined with last month's announcement by Undersecretary of Defense Michael Wynne that the Army has decided to stick with the current technology for the cleanup, today's vote represents a significant step forward toward getting the job done," Allard said.
In February, the Pentagon allocated just $5 million for the design and construction project, triggering an aggressive lobbying campaign from the Colorado delegation and Pueblo officials to restore the remainder of the funding.
The money wasn't nearly enough to keep the project on track, and would have delayed the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpiled at the depot, Allard's office said.
The move in February frustrated the local Citizens Advisory Commission, which wants the weapons destroyed as soon as possible so that the base can be used for civilian applications.
With the approval by the Senate, the advisory commission and the Colorado delegation are a step closer to fully restoring the $153 million needed for the project.
That's good news to County Commissioner John Klomp, who is chairman of the advisory commission.
"This is what we've been fighting for and hoping for," Klomp said Thursday, praising Allard's leadership in the fight.
He also commended the rest of the Colorado delegation and the entire community for its resilience and commitment to getting the weapons destroyed quickly.
Now that the Senate has taken action on the bill, it moves to the House of Representatives, where it will likely be scrutinized in another round of subcommittee hearings. Approval by the entire House is necessary before it can be signed by President Bush.
"What we have heard is that certainly our House delegation is totally in support of the issue," Klomp said. "Hopefully we'll be able to extend that support to the rest of the House."
He said the advisory commission has begun to work with representatives from the seven other sites in the nation that dispose of chemical weapons, hoping to receive support from their congressional delegations.
"With the fact that we didn't know how much resistance there would be from the other seven sites, we want to make sure that all eight sites have their congressional representatives on the same page," Klomp said.