[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 59 (Thursday, April 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ASSEMBLED CHEMICAL WEAPONS ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the future of 
the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative, ACWA, program, which is of 
vital importance to the people of Madison County, KY.
  The people of Madison County are living right next door to over 500 
tons of the deadliest material ever conceived by man. It is stored at 
the Blue Grass Army Depot, BGAD. Understandably, those in the nearby 
community would like to see these weapons disposed of as safely and 
quickly as possible. It is the mission of the ACWA program, as well as 
the Department of Defense, to do just that.
  Recently, the program manager for ACWA, Mike Parker, decided to 
retire. Mike has left big shoes to fill. The question then is, who will 
take Mike's place? Whoever is picked to permanently fill his position 
will need to possess a number of qualifications. These traits include 
an appreciation for the unique culture at ACWA. Central to that culture 
is the willingness to work collaboratively and openly with the local 
community and with Congress. It would be unfortunate if the new program 
manager, whoever it may be, were to attempt to impose solutions 
unilaterally onto the community and to act without transparency and 
consultation with Congress. I also trust that the new program manager 
will understand the need to complete work at BGAD as soon as is safely 
possible; not as soon as the department finds it to be convenient.
  Finally, the new program manager needs to be fully committed to 
chemical neutralization at BGAD as this approach has already been 
selected by the department, embraced by the community and endorsed by 
the state of Kentucky. Any variance from this path would only lead to 
additional delay in eliminating the risks associated with these stored 
weapons.
  The job of disposing of chemical weapons at BGAD is not just to be 
laid at the feet of the program manager for ACWA. It is a mission 
entrusted to the Department of Defense. Accordingly, the department 
itself needs to provide oversight over ACWA to ensure that the new 
program manager is acting in a manner consistent with the way ACWA has 
conducted its business in the past. Those at the department also need 
to support the ACWA program manager's mission by providing sufficient 
funding in the annual budget request, in the $450-500 million range, so 
that the chemical weapons are disposed of in a timely fashion. In the 
past, the department has chosen to tie itself in bureaucratic knots 
over the program. Those days need to end. These chemical weapons need 
to be destroyed. The people of Madison County deserve no less.

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