INACTIVE AMMO PLANTS

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, WI 53561

BAAP COULD BE CLOSED!
GAO Report says Badger Plant Could Be Eliminated

 For Immediate Release
Friday, February 28, 1997

Contact: Laura Olah, Executive Director
 Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
 (608) 643-3124

MERRIMAC -- Badger Army Ammunition Plant has been recommended for
closure, according to a recently released United States General
Accounting Office (GAO) Report requested by California Representative
Ronald Dellums, Ranking Minority Member of the House Committee on
National Security. The report concludes Badger is not needed "because
alternative sources exist, such as other active ammunition plants or the
private sector, to provide the capabilities these plants provide."

In addition to assessing opportunities to reducing the cost of
maintaining bases closed during the 1988 and 1991 base realignment and
closure (BRAC) process, the February 20 report investigated the Army's
conventional ammunition industrial base which includes 9 active and 10
inactive plants throughout the continental U.S. These plants are
managed by the Army's Industrial Operations Command (IOC), based in Rock
Island, Illinois.

IOC officials contend 4 of the inactive plants -- Badger, Indiana,
Longhorn and Volunteer -- are retained for their unique production
capabilities that could be vital for future needs.
According to the Army, Badger is retained because of its capability to
produce propellant and ball propellant, however the GAO report refutes
these claims and identifies alternative production sources for items
produced at Badger, including Virginia's Radford Army Ammunition Plant
and Olin Corporation's St. Marks, Florida facility.

In fact, after an explosion in 1985 impaired Radford's ability to
manufacture an item that could be produced at Badger, the report says
IOC did not reactivate Badger; instead the Army used a commercial
supplier. IOC officials rationalized this saying: "reactivating Badger
would have been administratively difficult and too expensive".

The report also says that in the event Badger is retained, only a small
area of the plant is really needed. "Even if the Army believes that the
unique capabilities justify the cost of retaining these plants, only a
small portion of the facilities at the Indiana and Badger plants are
needed to meet those requirements".

At the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant, perhaps only 5 percent of the
total plant acreage is needed for black powder capacity. The report
says: "A similar situation exists at the Badger plant". The GAO
recommends disposing of the excess acreage.

A December 20, 1996 Department of Defense response to the GAO report
says the Army "partially concurs" with the recommendation to dispose of
all unneeded property at inactive Army Ammunition Plants, pending an
upcoming report. "The Army is reviewing the GAO's recommendation to
dispose of seven idle ammunition plants, in whole or part. This Army
review is part of an ongoing assessment to be completed and provided to
Congress by June, 1997. At this time, we agree only with disposal of
Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant (in Texas). We will address the GAO's
recommendations for each of the others in our June report to Congress."

The report also shows Badger is the most expensive to maintain of the
ten inactive ammunition plants nationwide. Badger's maintenance costs
in 1994, 1995 and 1996 were $5.3 million, $5.6 million and $3.9 million
respectively. By comparison, maintenance costs in 1996 at most other
facilities were less than $1 million.

In the future, if the decision to close Badger is made, decommissioning
the plant will likely be a multi-year process. At other closing bases,
decommissioning activities have taken 5 to 10 years. These activities
could, according to Army officials, be managed by Olin Corporation (the
contractor currently hired to maintain Badger) and presumably the
current work force. After bases are closed, a disposal process is
initiated. According to the GAO, the property is first offered to other
federal agencies, then to state and local agencies, and then to the
public.

To obtain a free copy of the U.S. General Accounting Office's report
entitled Military Bases -- Cost to Maintain Inactive Ammunition Plant
and Closed Bases Could be Reduced, call them at (202)512-6000 or write
to the U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD
20884-6015. The document number is GAO/NSIAD-97-56.