Political Quotes

“on July 17, 1996, President Clinton supported legislative language establishing a two-year ``pilot program'' to identify and demonstrate a safe and cost-effective technology for the destruction of chemical weapon munitions stockpiles. The language signed into law by the President directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology to designate a program and appoint an executive officer to carry out the pilot program who was not, nor had been, in direct or immediate control of the Army Baseline Chemical Incineration Demilitarization program. The legislation further prohibited the obligation of funds at two chemical weapons stockpile sites--Lexington Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky and the Pueblo Depot in Colorado--pending the outcome of the two-year research program. It is Senator McConnell's and my understanding that the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) program has been a success in its initial stages. The management team for ACWA has just completed selecting seven technology teams who will conduct further evaluations toward a possible demonstration phase later this year. Based on information received, I am encouraged that at least two of the non-incineration technologies will be available for full scale testing by fiscal year 2000.”