138th Year... and still on the job!	Friday June 30, 2006

Depot needs funding

EDITORIAL

THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

PUEBLO CHEMICAL Depot absolutely needs the $42 million pending in the U.S. Senate to continue work on building a neutralization system to destroy mustard agent weapons at the Army installation east of Pueblo.

Thanks to Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado, the funding was added to a Defense Department budget authorization bill last week.

And 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.

Colorado's senators are 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 in the project.

The $42 million was stripped from Pentagon budget requests by the U.S. House of Representatives. It's time for both houses of Congress to get on the same page and move the chemical demilitarization program back on track.