136th Year... and
still on the job!
Thursday October 7,
2004
|
|
||
|
|
136th Year... and
still on the job!
|
Thursday October 7,
2004
|
|
Wayne Allard |
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., told the man nominated to be secretary of the Army that he hoped priority would be given to the destruction of chemical weapons, a program plagued by cost overruns that have set back initial work at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
Allard questioned nominee Francis J. Harvey, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday about the program.
Pointing out that the United States probably will fail to meet a 2012 treaty deadline to destroy its chemical weapons, Allard asked Harvey what he would do to get the program back on schedule.
According to a transcript prepared by Allard's staff, Harvey responded, "This is a very important initiative. I am generally familiar with the project, but not with the details. I know progress has been made at certain sites, that there have been delays and cost overruns. My background is such that I pride myself on my program management abilities. I learned to manage by being a program manager in the Air Force and in the Navy."
Asked if the program had high enough priority, Harvey responded, "At this point I don’t know the details. I know the sites, and the sequence . . . I know there has been a change in the technology in the middle of this program. So I commit to you that I will get involved in the details. I will find out why we’re behind schedule and why we have cost overruns, and ensure we have the right program managers on the job."
That change in technology was the switch at some locations - including Pueblo - from incineration to a cleaner, water-based method.
Allard pointed out, however, that the problems are at bases where the old technology is being used.
"There is some new technology," he said, " . . . but we also have put money into the new technology areas, and then that funding has been moved to sites where they are using the old technology because of cost overruns. I do think some really tough questions have to be asked."
Earlier this year, the Pentagon's 2005 budget request gutted the funding for Pueblo, saying that the project was going to cost too much and needed to be redesigned. Last week, the agency overseeing the program halted all design work on the new plant until changes were made, something that would take about nine months.
Allard was able to get $50 million out of an expected $147 million restored to the Pueblo program but with the project frozen, that's unlikely to be spent in the new fiscal year.
"Chemical weapons demilitarization is one of the most important tasks the new Army secretary will have to oversee," Allard said. "I want to make sure that Secretary-designee Harvey understands that the Pueblo depot is a high-priority project in need of his close scrutiny."