U.S. Senate Approves Budget for Disposal Construction at Blue Grass, Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depots

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a fiscal 2007 defense appropriations bill that includes $215.9 million for developing chemical weapons disposal facilities at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky and Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado (see GSN, Aug. 25).

The Senate and House versions of the bill contain the same amount for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program, the Defense Department effort to destroy the two weapons stockpiles using neutralization technology, the nonprofit Chemical Weapons Working Group said in a press release.

“With the House in concurrence, this is money we can count on to continue with the efforts here in Kentucky and in Colorado,” organization Director Craig Williams said in the release.

The Senate has yet to vote on a military construction bill that contains $140.9 million for the projects.  While the Senate added $10 million to the Pentagon’s funding request, the House cut the budget by $40 million.

If the House agrees to the Senate version of the military construction bill, the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative Program would receive $356.9 million in fiscal 2007.  That includes roughly $43 million for program management expenses, according to the press release (Chemical Weapons Working Group release, Sept. 8).

Construction of the weapons disposal facility at Pueblo is not expected to begin until the end of 2008, The Pueblo Chieftain reported Friday.  However, preparatory work is under way.  An access road and access control point are both nearly finished.  Also being readied are an office building and canopies that would be used for vehicle inspections (John Norton, The Pueblo Chieftain, Sept. 8).

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