Published: January
11, 2007 10:55 pm
Congress
gets new depot timeline, cost
Register News Writer
Undersecretary of Defense Kenneth Krieg, in charge of the chemical weapons disposal programs at the Blue Grass Army Depot and at the storage facility in Pueblo, Colo., certified to Congress Wednesday that the two programs should proceed, as they are "essential to national security."
Krieg also acknowledged that the weapons being stored in both states have been identified as a terrorist "threat target" as recently as June 2006.
The certification, required in order to continue spending funds to destroy the weapons, estimated the total costs associated with completing the destruction program at $7.9 billion.
Program costs increased $3.357 billion, going from $4.611 billion to $7.96. billion. The increase was primarily because of the maturation of program designs and cost inflation in building materials such as steel, copper and aluminum.
By increasing the cost and spreading it out over an expanded period of time will make the program affordable on an annual basis, according to a release from the Department of Defense.
The cost increase resulted in ACWA breaching the Nunn-McCready Act of 1982. Pentagon programs where costs grow by 25 percent or more must be certified for continuation based on several criteria, including the lack of a viable alternative and a credible plan for bringing the costs under control.
The ACWA program was given permission to continue based on the fact that it was found to be essential to national security, said Mike Parker, ACWA program manager.
Destruction of the chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot is now projected to begin in 2017 and be completed by 2023, which allows 10-12 years for construction and five years for the actual destruction of the weapons, Parker said.
The lengthy construction time includes five years for building the destruction facility, one year to perform demonstrations on equipment and two to three years for the hiring and training process for employees, he said.
The total cost for the Kentucky project is estimated at $3.8 million, and the destruction of chemical weapons at the storage facility in Colorado will cost about $3.5 million and be completed by 2020.
The extended project time will save the government approximately $150 million over the span of both projects.
The certification will be included in the new session of Congress, and in order to receive permission to proceed, Parker will remind members that the facilities are large and very complex to build, he said.
Plans to extend the time frame and increase the cost did not go over well with members of the Berea-based CWWG (Chemical Weapons Working Group), who represent those in the community who want the weapons destroyed as soon as possible in the safest manner.
"Yesterday's certification confirms the Pentagon's intentions to force communities to sit on these weapons of mass destruction for an additional eight years and to significantly increase the disposal cost to taxpayers," said Craig Williams, director of the CWWG.
Members of the CWWG obtained the official briefing papers about the certification in November, but the findings were not made official until Wednesday.
"The Pentagon continues to prioritize cutting costs each fiscal year over the safety of thousands of American citizens living in the shadow of these weapons," Williams said. "Knowing that continued storage poses the greatest risk and that the programs will cost more in the long run appears to have no effect on decision-makers who live well outside the impact area."
However, in a document released Thursday by the Department of Defense, members of ACWA claim they will continue to explore ways to accelerate the program schedule and constrain program costs while keeping safety as the program's top priority.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.