Pete Sessions: “Mr. President this amendment would authorize an increase of $6 million to the budget request for the Explosive…”

“Mr. President this amendment would authorize an increase of $6 million to the budget request for the Explosive Demilitarization Technology program (PE 63104D) to conduct a demonstration program at Anniston Army Depot. This is a much needed demonstration of current commercial off-the shelf blast chamber technology as an acceptable alternative to open burning/open pit detonation (OB/OD) by reducing significantly emissions and noise caused by OB/OD. The demonstration has nation-wide application if successful and is in keeping with the military's program of continuing technology evaluation of demilitarization methods for existing conventional ammunition as described in the Joint Demilitarization Study, September 1995, page II-4-14, a study prepared for the Director, Environmental and Life Sciences, Defense Research and Engineering, Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. President annually we spend millions of dollars on the production of new munitions of all types. At the other end of the pipeline however is the vexing problem of disposing of outdated munitions of all types. The enormity of the problem for this Nation is this: The stocks managed by the Army, DOD's Manager for Conventional Ammunition (MCA), currently stored in 26 States totals approximately 449,308 tons of material and costs over $12 million annually to store according to a DOD 1995 Joint Demilitarization Study.”