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Opening Statements of Chairman
Jim Saxton
Hearing on the Destruction of the U.S.
Chemical Weapons Stockpile - Program Status
and Issues
Today, the
Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and
Capabilities Subcommittee meets to review the
Department of Defense program for destruction
of the U.S. stockpile of lethal chemical
warfare agents and munitions and the Fiscal
Year 2005 budget request for the program.
The U.S.
chemical weapons stockpile originally
consisted of approximately 31,000 tons of
lethal chemical agents in a wide variety of
munitions, located at Johnston Atoll in the
Pacific southwest of Hawaii and eight sites in
the continental United States.
The Fiscal Year
1986 Defense Authorization Act requires that
the destruction of the stockpile be carried
out so as to insure maximum protection of the
environment, the general public, and the
workers at the storage and demilitarization
sites. Destruction of the stockpile began at
Johnston Atoll in 1990 and is supposed to be
completed by April 29, 2007 in accordance with
the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty.
As of March 15,
2004, over 8,600 tons, 27 percent of the total
stockpile, have been destroyed. 100 percent of
the stockpile is now under contract for
destruction. Disposal operations have been
completed at Johnston Atoll and that facility
closed, three disposal facilities are
operational in the continental United States,
and an additional three facilities could be
operational by the end of the year. 7,468 tons
of the nerve agent - GB, 78 percent of the GB
stockpile have been destroyed. 726 tons or 16
percent of the VX persistent nerve agent
stockpile have been destroyed. Much has been
done, but much remains to be done.
I have concerns
about the program.
We have to seek
measures to reduce the time required to
destroy the stockpile and we have to seek
measures to reduce the cost of that
destruction.
The current
cost estimate of almost $25 billion to destroy
the stockpile is mind-boggling. We must find
ways – reasonable and cost-effective ways – to
reduce the cost of destroying the stockpile!
Current
estimates that the last agent will not be
destroyed until 2014 and the last facility
will not be closed until 2019 not only add to
the total cost of the program, but also place
our obligations and commitments under the
Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty at risk.
They frankly are unacceptable. We must find
ways -- affordable ways -- to accelerate the
destruction of the stockpile!
Above all,
however, we must destroy the stockpile is such
a manner that we insure maximum protection of
the environment, the general public, and the
workers at the storage and demilitarization
sites. That was true when Congress mandated
the program in the 1986 Defense Authorization
Act and is no less true today!
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