ARMY SAYS BADGER WILL CLOSE!

["Laura Olah" <olah@speagle.com>]

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South, Merrimac, Wisconsin 53561 (608) 643-3124 
fax (608) 643-0005

November 11, 1997
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Laura Olah, Executive Director, CSWAB (608) 643-3124

ARMY SAYS BADGER WILL CLOSE!
BADGER NO LONGER NEEDED FOR CURRENT OR FUTURE PRODUCTION

MERRIMAC - Wisconsin's Badger Army Ammunition Plant, along with four 
other inactive plants nationwide, has been recommend for closure by the 
U.S. Army Industrial Operations Command (IOC) based in Rock Island, 
Illinois. The Army is preparing preliminary reports about the plant 
for submission to the Secretary of Defense of the Army, taking the 
Badger plant one step closer to actual closure.

In addition to the Badger plant, a recent assessment of peacetime and 
replenishment requirements also identified the Indiana, a portion of 
Kansas, Sunflower, and Volunteer Army Ammunition Plants to be excessed 
because they are no longer needed for current or future production. 

The IOC reports it will retain only 6 of its 14 inactive ammunition 
plants. The Command will retain Louisiana, Mississippi, Riverbank, and 
Scranton Army Ammunition Plants for its replenishment mission. In 
addition, the Command will continue to use a portion of Ohio's Ravenna 
plant for storage and transfer approximately 75% of the plant to the 
National Guard Bureau; a portion of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition 
Plant will also be retained for production and a portion will be 
transferred to the National Guard and Army Reserve.

The announcement to excess Badger comes on the heels of a recently 
released GAO report which also recommended Badger for closure. Of the 
14 inactive ammunition plants across the country, Badger continues to be 
the most expensive to maintain, costing in excess of $5 million in FY 96 
alone. By comparison, the majority of the Army's ammunition plants cost 
less than $1 million per year for operations and maintenance costs. 

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) has already announced a 
public meeting on Monday, November 24 from 7 to 9 pm at the Sauk City 
Library to discuss strategies to strengthen the role of the community in 
developing future use plans as well as ways to ensure a complete, 
comprehensive cleanup is accomplished as soon as possible. 

* * *

Laura Olah, Executive Director 
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, Wisconsin 53561
olah@speagle.com
Phone (608)643-3124 Fax (608)643-0005
Website http://www.speagle.com/cswab