Chemical Weapons Working Group
PO Box 467 Berea, KY 40403
(859) 986-7565 (859) 986-2695
www.cwwg.org
for more information:
Craig Williams (859) 986-7565
(859) 302-1103
for immediate release: Tuesday, February
15, 2005
PENTAGON FREEZES HUNDREDS
OF MILLIONS IN CHEMICAL WEAPONS DISPOSAL FUNDS
Citizens Groups Accuse Pentagon of Overstepping
Its Authority; Senators Seek Release of Funds
In an analysis of funds available to proceed with constructing facilities
for disposing of chemical weapons stored in Colorado and Kentucky, the Chemical
Weapons Working Group (CWWG) believes it has identified over $400 million
in appropriated funds frozen by the Pentagon.
According to CWWG Director, Craig Williams, "It is beyond the Pentagon's
authority to take funds provided by Congress for specific projects and spend
them elsewhere without Congressional approval. Such actions usurp Congressional
authority--it is the Congress that authorizes and appropriates funds, not
the military."
The CWWG is not alone. In a strongly worded letter of February 9th,
to the Undersecretary of Defense in charge of this program, Mr. Michael Wynne,
Colorado's Senators Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) stated,
"In your letter..... you wrote that you are not able to proceed with construction
at Pueblo because 'conducting operations at existing destruction facilities
must take precedence over on-going work at sites still in the design phase,
given the Department's limited financial resources.' (emphasis added). You
make this argument despite the fact that in the last two Department of Defense
appropriations bills, Congress has provided significant funding resources
for the Pueblo project, including the $50 million in research and development
funds added to the President's FY 05 budget request by Senator Allard. We
understand a significant portion of these appropriated funds have not been
spent and could be used to complete early construction activities scheduled
for phase I and phase II of the project."
In it's 2005 budget, the Pentagon cut Colorado's funding by $147 million,
which they spent almost entirely on cost overruns at other disposal sites.
Senator Allard later got $50 million restored for the Colorado project, those
funds are now frozen as well..
The CWWG believes it has identified over $400 million in funds currently
being held by the Defense Department specifically appropriated for chemical
weapons neutralization projects in Colorado and Kentucky.
In a statement released on January 27th, Senator Mitch McConnell said,
"The budgets for demilitarization at Blue Grass and Pueblo have been slashed,
and the money has been transferred to other accounts in spite of the fact
that Blue Grass and Pueblo had succeeded in securing permits from the local
environmental agencies in record time. Destruction of stockpiles at Blue
Grass and Pueblo deserves full funding from the Department of Defense, and
I will work to put the demilitarization of these stockpiles back on schedule."
According to Williams, "The Pentagon is trying to conceal the ever increasing
cost of the chemical demilitarization program, particularly at their incineration
sites, by impounding funds for neutralizing chemical agents in Colorado and
Kentucky. It appears they intend to continue transferring these funds to
disposal programs at other sites where costs have soared. The result is greater
risks to certain communities, increased disposal program costs in the long
run, and missed treaty deadlines."
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