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RICHMOND REGISTER 380 Big Hill Avenue, Richmond, KY (859) 623-1669 |
Published: July 20, 2006
Senate:
$360 million for weapons disposal
By
Ronica Shannon
Register News Writer
RICHMOND -- Two
Senate Appropriations Subcommittees have approved $360 million for the 2006-07
fiscal year to go toward chemical weapons disposal in Kentucky and Colorado.
The funding
request came from Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and represents an increase
of $327 million more than the amount the Pentagon estimated they would request
for 2007.
"I am
pleased that my request for funding for the Blue Grass Army Depot was approved,"
McConnell said. "This additional funding will help hasten the day when
Kentucky citizens no longer have to live with deadly chemical weapons being
stored in their midst. I remain committed to ensuring that these heinous
weapons are disposed of as safely and as quickly as possible."
Last year, the
Department of Defense's request for ACWA (Assembled Chemical Weapons
Alternatives) was $33 million.
McConnell's
intervention last year prevented ACWA funds from being spent at other sites,
forced the DOD to begin spending funds for disposal efforts at the two ACWA
sites and provided $20 million in extra funding for the program.
"Kentucky's
military installations, defense facilities and universities are helping to
bolster national defense," McConnell said. "This funding will be used
to conduct important defense-related research and production activities and I
am pleased to have secured the money."
The $360 million
will allow the Army and its contractors to continue ongoing construction
activities and continue work on facility design, equipment testing and other
activities associated with the chemical weapons disposal project.
Craig Williams,
director of the Berea-based Chemical Weapons Working Group that keeps a close
watch on the weapons disposal project at the depot, is thankful for the senator’Äôs
dedication regarding the chemical weapons disposal issue, he said.
"We have consistently relied on him
to represent the concerns of communities affected by these weapons and he has
always delivered solid results," Williams said.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.