Statement on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - January 26, 2005)
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Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleagues in relation to the Pueblo Chemical Depot. When the Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, it became U.S. law and our sworn obligation to destroy our Nation's chemical weapons stockpiles by 2012. With the advent of the global war on terror, this responsibility has taken on even more importance. We must destroy these weapons to ensure the health and safety of the citizens of the State of Colorado.
We must also stand as an example to the world that we are firmly resolved in our commitment to reducing the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction in our Nation.
Given the gravity of the situation, I cannot understand why the Department of Defense is shirking from their responsibility in this matter.
Until recently, the relationship between the Army and the citizens of Pueblo had an excellent track record, proving that when good people come together and operate from a position of trust, significant problems can be solved. Yet, one day after Senator ALLARD and I were absolutely assured by the Department of Defense that the chemical weapons stored in Pueblo would not be transported, and that the weapons would be destroyed in Pueblo by the environmentally safe method of water neutralization, the Department of Defense turned around and commenced a study on the feasibility of transporting the stockpiles out of Pueblo to be incinerated at another site--twenty-four hours after they said they wouldn't.
I believe we were given a good faith commitment last week that the destruction of the weapons would continue at Pueblo using the water neutralization technology agreed upon, and that the munitions would not be transferred elsewhere. While we wait for the promised clarification on these matters, Senator ALLARD and I believe it is necessary to emphasize our resolve.
To help provide that emphasis, we are introducing this bill. It is a straightforward, one-line bill to prohibit the use of Department of Defense funds for any study related to the transportation of chemical munitions across State lines.
Mr. President, the sheer number of weapons awaiting destruction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot is staggering: more than three-quarters of a million artillery shells and mortar rounds. Transporting these weapons would be a dangerous and expensive enterprise. It would be subject to legal challenges by the towns and the States involved, and it is against Federal law.
In short, transporting these weapons will not save time, and it will not save money. But this bill we have brought to the floor will save both time and money, because it stops the frivolous study and returns the focus to the issue at hand: the safe destruction of the chemical weapons at Pueblo by water neutralization.
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