136th Year... and still on the job!	Saturday June 25, 2005

Michael D. Brown

FEMA chief to speak on emergency issues

By JOHN NORTON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

A top official in the Department of Homeland Security will be one of the speakers during a three-day meeting here next week dealing with the chemical weapons stockpile at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Pueblo Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program will hold a series of sessions at the Pueblo Convention Center Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Highlighting the meeting will be a talk by Michael D. Brown, undersecretary of homeland security for emergency preparedness and response and head of FEMA.

Brown will discuss FEMA's role in preparing for and responding to national incidents and also will discuss the National Response Plan for how the federal government coordinates efforts with state, local and tribal governments.

Brown will speak at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The CSEPP program meets annually at sites around the country where chemical weapons are stored. This year was Pueblo's turn to host the meeting. John Klomp, chairman of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission said that members of other CACs from around the country will be attending the sessions.

The CAC will hold one of its most important meetings of the year Wednesday night at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center to vote on recommendations for a scaled-down method to destroy weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.