| For Immediate Release: April 1, 2004 |
Contact: |
Harald Stavenas |
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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