Printer
Friendly Version
Click here to read Senator Wyden's testimony on the 142nd Fighter Wing Proposal
WYDEN, SMITH APPLAUD MOVE TO
CLOSE
UMATILLA CHEMICAL WEAPONS DEPOT
Senators support BRAC vote to close Depot
after completion of mission;
Department of Defense to cover environmental cleanup costs
August 24, 2005
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today welcomed the
vote of the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission to
accept the Pentagon’s recommendation to close the Umatilla
Chemical Depot once its current mission is complete. Including
Umatilla, the Army has eight installations currently storing chemical
weapons in the United States; in a letter to BRAC Chairman Anthony
Principi earlier this year, Wyden and Smith supported continued
funding and staffing for the completion of the Depot’s mission
prior to closure. The Commission is voting this week on all recommendations
to be made to the President regarding closures and realignments
of military installations nationwide.
“Today’s BRAC vote means
that the Defense Department can focus on safeguarding and permanently
cleaning up the chemicals stored in eastern Oregon, with the end
of the Depot’s mission in sight,” said Wyden. “Rather
than posing a burden, this facility can be cleaned up and put
to better use for the entire community.”
“The Depot has played a major
role in the history of the area as surrounding communities have
grown up around it,” said Smith. “Today’s vote
ensures that the Depot’s mission of safe destruction will
continue to its end. It also marks the beginning of the next chapter
of opportunity and growth for the region as the site readies for
a new use.”
Under the law that created this
round of BRAC closures, the Defense Department will be responsible
for the cost of environmental cleanup in and around the Depot.
Wyden and Smith have long supported safety and cleanup efforts
at the site; in 2003, the Senators worked to secure $4.1 million
for the Umatilla Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparation Program.
The funds were used for a variety of safety projects in and around
the Umatilla Depot.
While applauding BRAC’s decision
on the Umatilla Depot, both Senators continue to oppose the Pentagon
proposal to gut the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland. That plan
would leave only two alert fighter jets at the Portland Air Base,
leaving the Northwest vulnerable to attack. BRAC Commissioners
are expected to vote on the Portland Air Base plan this week as
well.
# # #