11/14/03

Congress wants the U.S. Army to update chemical-weapons sensors at and around the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon and at three other sites where chemical weapons are to be incinerated.

When the Senate passed a bill on Wednesday authorizing the Defense Department to spend money, it also voted for a "sense of the Congress" provision that asks the Army to update the equipment that checks for accidental leaks of mustard gas and nerve agent at those sites.

The House of Representatives had already voted for the measure, which does not require any changes but simply states what members of Congress would like to see happen. -- Andy Dworkin