Demilitarization of the Chemical Munitions Stockpile

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's decisionmaking process and its preliminary cost estimates in its draft environmental impact statement evaluating methods for destroying its stockpile of old and hazardous chemical munitions, including: (1) on-site disposal at each of the existing storage installations; (2) transportation to two regional disposal centers; and (3) transportation to a national disposal center. GAO noted that the Army's preferred method is to build demilitarization facilities at each of its eight storage locations. GAO found that: (1) the Army followed prescribed regulations in preparing its draft environmental impact statement; (2) those agencies with jurisdiction or specific expertise in environmental policy agreed with GAO findings; (3) the Army evaluated the three alternatives equally; (4) the cost estimates were not biased towards the selection of a particular alternative; and (5) the Army has not yet decided on the means for destroying the stockpile.