[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5476-S5477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS WORKING GROUP

 Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Chemical Weapons Working Group, CWWG, for receiving the Kentucky 
Environmental Quality Commission's 2003 Earth Day Award. Each year a 
dozen organizations in Kentucky receive this award for their 
outstanding commitment to the environment.

[[Page S5477]]

  CWWG, under the direction of Craig Williams, has played a vital role 
in the demilitarization of chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army 
Depot in Kentucky. I have worked with the CWWG on this important issue 
and I know how strongly many Kentuckians feel about disposing of these 
weapons in the safest and quickest manner possible.
  Although it took some time, the public and political pressure from 
CWWG was instrumental in the Department of Defense's decision to use 
water neutralization, not incineration, to destroy the chemical weapons 
at Blue Grass Army Depot. CWWG's research efforts to demonstrate 
effective alternatives to incineration were beneficial to all parties 
involved in this important decision.
  I ask my colleagues in the Senate to pay tribute to the Chemical 
Weapons Working Group for their role in protecting the environment and 
the thousands of Kentuckians that live near the Blue Grass Army 
Depot.

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