*McConnell Secures 2017 Deadline for Cleanup at Blue Grass Army Depot*



Washington, D.C. -- Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that the Senate approved his amendment imposing a deadline of 2017 on the Department of Defense (DOD) to complete disposal of chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD). Without this amendment, DOD indicated it would not finish disposal at BGAD before 2023.



McConnell’s amendment, which is included in the FY’08 Defense Appropriations conference report, gives DOD ten years to complete its work on chemical weapons disposal at the BGAD. The legislation now goes to the President for his signature.



“The cleanup of these dangerous chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot has been a top priority for me since I first was elected to the Senate,” McConnell said. “It is vitally important that we keep the pressure on the Department of Defense to get the job done. The people of Richmond can be assured that I will continue to fight on their behalf until all the weapons at the facility are disposed of and their community is safe.”



In related news, Senator McConnell also secured $28 million in additional funding for clean up efforts at the Blue Grass Army Depot in the FY ’08 Defense Appropriations conference report.



“The people living near the Blue Grass Army Depot are at risk because the chemical weapons stored there are the most deadly in the nation,” McConnell said. “This additional funding will enable the ACWA program to move more quickly toward the safe elimination of the chemical weapons located at the facility.”



The FY ’08 Defense Appropriations conference report now goes to the President for his signature.



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