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B-305494 1 (2006-03-27)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptassw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 B-305494 March 27, 2006 The Honorable Mitch McConnell United States Senate Subject: Department of Defense -- Obligation of Chemical Weapons Demilitarization Funds Dear Senator McConnell: In your letter of May 23, 2005, you asked us to monitor a potential impoundment of funds by the Department of Defense with regard to chemical weapons demilitarization activities at Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky, and Pueblo Depot, Colorado. Specifically, you asked GAO to monitor whether funds appropriated for Chemical Weapons Demilitarization at the Blue Grass and Pueblo sites are being properly obligated and whether the Department was impounding funds for chemical weapons demilitarization. GAO has verified that the Department obligated $103 million for chemical weapons demilitarization activities at Blue Grass and Pueblo. Furthermore, we have found no impoundment of funds occurring. Under the Chemical Weapons Convention ratified in 1998, the United States is obligated to dispose of its chemical weapons stockpile no later than 2012. 22 U.S.C. §§ 6701-6771. See also 50 U.S.C. §§ 1512-1526. Congress has appropriated multi-year funds to the Department of Defense for chemical weapons demilitarization. See, e.g., Pub. L. No. 108-287, title VI, 118 Stat. 951, 967 (Aug. 5, 2004); Pub. L. No. 108-324, 118 Stat. 1220, 1225 (Oct. 13, 2004). Concerned with delays in the development of chemical weapons demilitarization disposal facilities at the Blue Grass and Pueblo sites,' Congress enacted a provision in the fiscal year 2005 emergency supplemental appropriations act requiring that any unobligated balances of appropriations for Chemical Weapons Demilitarization at 1 S. Rep. No. 109-52, at 27-28 (2005) (The Committee is concerned with the status of the Chemical Demilitarization program. The cost of operations and development of new facilities is growing at a disturbing rate. The increasing expenses when combined with delays in developing the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical Munitions Disposal Facilities are placing the nation's ability to meet the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty requirements at risk.).