Issue date: 1/20/05 Section: News

Media Credit: U.S. Army Photo/Submitted An igloo at the Bluegrass Army Depot, on US 25 in Richmond, houses chemical weapons waiting to undergo neutralization.

Madison County residents and Eastern students may see delays in the disposal of the chemical weapons housed at The Blue Grass Army Depot. The depot is facing possible delays in the disposal of the chemical weapons due to substantial funding cuts within President George W. Bush's preliminary 2005 fiscal budget.

According to Pentagon documents released to the Chemical Weapons Working Group in Berea, the depot could see millions of dollars cut from the budget to finance the disposal of the weapons.

"This is really a slap in the face," said Craig Williams, director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group. He said the budget cuts show a complete abandonment of commitment to the community.

The Pentagon documents outlined plans for three projects that would dispose of chemical agents in the eight chemical depot sites in the United States. The Chemical Demilitarization-Chemical Materials Agency program would dispose of the stockpile of lethal chemical munitions stored in Anniston, Ala., Pine Bluff, Ark., Tooele, Utah, Umatilla, Ore., and Aberdeen, Md. The Chemical Demilitarization-Chemical Materials Agency Newport program would destroy the stockpile stored at Newport, Ind. The Chemical Demilitarization-Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program would destroy the stockpiles in Pueblo, Colo. and the Blue Grass Depot, on US 25 in Richmond.

The President's 2004 budget projected $280 million to be given to the Pueblo, Colo. and Blue Grass Depot sites, and a smaller $20 million dollar project, during the 2006 fiscal year. This amount was increased to about $400 million to be divided among the projects. The new budget will allocate approximately $31 million for the Chemical Demilitarization-Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program.

Williams said the War on Terror and the national deficit are two reasons for the cut in funding. He also said the funds cut from the Pueblo, Colo. and Blue Grass Depot program will be used to dispose of the chemicals at the other six chemical weapon depots.

According to the documents, the stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot will be the nation's most dangerous by 2007.

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