For Immediate Release: Monday,
February 6, 2006
STATEMENT OF U.S. SENATOR MITCH McCONNELL ON THE 2007 BUDGET REQUEST
FOR BLUE GRASS ARMY DEPOT
*Richmond, Kentucky facility funded at $175 million in President's budget*
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator
Mitch McConnell released the following statement today on the President's
FY'07 budget, which includes funding for the disposal of chemical weapons
located at the Blue Grass Army Depot. The budget contains approximately
$350 million for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program,
of which approximately $175 million is designated for Blue Grass.
"Today, we took another important step toward the safe
disposal of the chemical weapons stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot,"
said McConnell. "I am pleased to see the Department of Defense (DOD)
took my advice and included sufficient funding for ACWA in the budget.
While this is only the first step in the budget process, the people of Madison
County can rest assured that I will not stop until all the chemical weapons
are disposed of safely."
The overall request for ACWA is nearly $317 million
above the $33 million that was requested last year and reflects DOD agreeing
to the FY'07 budget level that Senator McConnell proposed last August.
In a letter to DOD, McConnell strongly urged them to request between $300
- $400 million for ACWA in the budget.
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