Published: August 22 , 2008

Weapons destruction deadline looks like a reality

By Ronica Shannon
Register News Writer

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Sixth District, speaks Thursday in
Richmond City Hall about the progress of the destruction of
chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot. Also
pictured from left are: State Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond;
U.S. Sen Mitch McConnell, R-Ky; State Sen. Ed Worley,
D-Richmond; and Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson

The 2017 deadline for destruction of chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot seems very feasible after news released Thursday at a press conference in Richmond City Hall.

Elected officials from Washington, D.C., on down to the local city and county levels gathered to hear reports from U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Sixth District, who toured the construction sites at the depot and viewed the work being done that eventually will serve as the buildings where the chemical weapon demilitarization efforts will take place.

“We collaborated last year on a deadline of 2017 and you’ll hear people complain about whether it can or cannot be met,” McConnell said. “Our view is that it can be met and we’re going to do everything we can to get the job done by 2017.”

The city commission chambers were lined with oversized photographs of construction progress being made at the depot, including pictures of the future munitions disposal building, maintenance building, the electrical substation and the personnel building.

“It is quite an impressive thing to see all this infrastructure coming up out of the ground out there and finally having something tangible, something you can get your hands around as opposed to just another several years of discussions and dialogues,” said Craig Williams, director of the Berea-based CWWG (Chemical Weapons Working Group). There’s actually things rising up out of the ground.”

However, no matter how fast things progress at the depot, there is still a large portion of the community who are not satisfied with the pace of destruction.

“I know there is a great deal of frustration in the area over not having progress made fast enough, and I think our senator and congressman will both attest that there is significant progress being made,” Williams said. “Everyone is doing everything they can.”

McConnell said it was a “misfortune” that Richmond is the home of a portion of America’s weapons of mass destruction.

“Probably the first significant problem I learned about after coming to the Senate was (the weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond),” said McConnell, who has been in the Senate for 24 years. “It’s been a priority from the beginning. You can’t just snap your fingers and make it disappear. It has to be done safely. If you had to decide between speed and safety, it would have to be safety. What we’re trying to do is try to get it down as quickly as possible, as safely as possible.”

The 2017 deadline also seems like a realistic goal to Chandler, as well.

“I believe it’s achievable,” he said. “We (he and McConnell) are both going to work very, very hard to see that it is achievable. That’s doesn’t mean it will happen, but I can assure you that we’re all going to work together. When I was elected to be congressman of the Sixth District of Kentucky, I was elected to serve the people and what was in their best interest for their welfare. This is an obligation that transcends any kind of politics and it’s been a pleasure to work with Senator McConnell successfully on this issue, and I thank him.”

The Pentagon previously suggested the weapons at the depot be destroyed by 2023, but that was just the Pentagon’s way of not having to spend a lot of money at the time to go toward the project, Williams said.

“You need to keep in mind that the 2023 date was just based on how much money (the Pentagon) was willing to give to the project,” he said. “The military doesn’t like to spend money on getting rid of weapons, they like to spend money on getting more weapons, so this is not a high priority to them and these two gentleman (McConnell and Chandler) have made it a priority to the Pentagon.”

“We literally ordered the Army to look at other alternatives, and their studies revealed that there was indeed another way to do it,” McConnell said. “We got them to go on an alternative approach that’s entirely feasible and here we are today. No matter who wins the presidential election, Congressman Chandler and I have been working to make sure the job gets done.”

The lawmakers declined to comment on two recent leaks of mustard gas at the depot, but Williams said they were minor and did not concern him. While he acknowledged risks would persist as long as the deadly chemicals are stored in Richmond, he said it is not feasible to expect the destruction project be moved earlier than 2017.

Even though beating the 2017 may not be realistic, Chandler said there is still reason to be proud of the accomplishments thus far.

“The issue has moved from whether or not this is going to be done to when it’s going to be done, and that is enormous progress in and of itself,” he said.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.