Senate Backs U.S. Chemical Weapons Disposal Deadline

The U.S. Senate approved an appropriations bill amendment that requires the Defense Department to complete chemical weapons destruction at two sites by the end of 2017, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 13).

Lawmakers are expected to vote on defense funding bill next week.  The legislation would essentially set Dec. 31, 2017, as the end date for U.S. chemical weapons disposal, as the plants at Blue Grass, Ky., and Pueblo, Colo., are the only two sites yet to begin operations.

The planned chemical neutralization facilities are not yet built.  They are presently scheduled to begin operations in 2014; weapons disposal at Pueblo would finish in 2020 and work at Blue Grass would be complete in 2023.

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United States by April 2012 must eliminate its stockpile of munitions and bulk containers filled with materials such as VX, sarin and mustard agent.

The amendment sets aside an extra $32 million for disposal operations at Pueblo and $17.3 million for Blue Grass, beyond whatever amount is approved in Congress for fiscal 2008, AP reported (Associated Press/Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 18).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.