CITIZEN'S ADVISORY BOARD EXPRESSES
CONCERNS REGARDING FUTURE FUNDING OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS DISPOSAL IN KENTUCKY
Governor's Commission endorses
the call to Congress and Other Elected Officials to , "....[a]ct to prevent
major delays in destroying Kentucky's chemical weapons stockpile."
In two separate letters sent out today, the Kentucky
Chemical Destruction Citizen's Advisory Board (CDCDB) and the Governor's
Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission (CAC) expressed concerns
about the future funding of chemical weapons disposal here in Kentucky.
The letters urged Kentucky's Federal and State elected
officials to convey to the Pentagon the importance of including adequate
funds in their budget requests to keep the Kentucky disposal project on schedule.
This follows a Pentagon directive to the Army last month, stopping design
work at the Colorado disposal facility. The two sites (CO and KY) are both
exclusively under the authority of an Army organization separate from other
storage and disposal locations (the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives
or ACWA program). Funding cuts and cessation of design work at the
one has raised concerns that the Kentucky project could be next.
The CDCAB letter states, "Given the recent cessation
of the design work in Colorado, it is very likely that Kentucky's funding
may be cut severely, or even eliminated, in fiscal year 2006 and beyond
unless action is taken. From our perspective, an ominous precedent
appears to have been set --using ACWA sites to pay other bills within the
larger program."
The letter also raises issues surrounding terrorism,
and other risks associated with continuing to store these weapons in populated
areas such as Central Kentucky. It states, "For more than 18 years,
Pentagon officials have consistently identified the risk of continuing to
store these weapons as greater than that of disposal. They have also, even
prior to the horrendous events of 9/11, identified the threat of sabotage
or theft of these materials as a serious risk. That threat is certainly
elevated as we fight the war on terrorism..... now is not the time to allow
our own weapons of mass destruction to languish in American communities."
CDCAB Co-chair, Craig Williams said, "This isn't
the right program to cut, particularly in light of the progress being made
here on the project. Doing so increases risk to the region, undermines our
Homeland Security efforts and violates America’s international treaty obligations."
Both letters ask the elected officials, "....to
send a clear message to the Acting Undersecretary of Defense (A,L&T),
Mr. Michael Wynne, to submit a budget to Congress for 2006 and beyond that
will provide the funds necessary to complete the chemical weapons destruction
program nationally and especially the project in Kentucky."
CDCAB Co-chair, Madison County Judge Executive Kent
Clark said, "This issue should be on the highest priority list of our Representatives
and Senators as it is a major safety concern for the citizens of the Commonwealth."
