Senator McConnell Wins Another Victory For The Blue Grass Army Depot

Senator McConnell Wins Another Victory For The Blue Grass Army Depot

from the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell successfully removed a provision in the House version of the FY'06 Defense Authorization bill that would have placed responsibility for the disposal of chemical agents at Blue Grass Army Depot back under the Army office in charge of incineration.

Senator McConnell was responsible for the law in 1996 creating the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program. This program ensures that Blue Grass Army Depot and Pueblo Depot in Colorado remain independent from the Army's incineration office and are therefore able to conduct chemical weapons disposal through chemical neutralization, a method thought to be much safer than incineration. The ACWA program also helps to ensure community input into chemical disposal efforts.

"I am disappointed that some members in the House sought this misguided change," said Senator McConnell. "Fortunately, those of us who know and understand this program were able to defeat the measure before it became law and helped to ensure that clean up efforts continue to proceed safely and efficiently with full community involvement."

http://mcconnell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=250216&start=1