[CPEO-MEF]

[jeff.edson@state.co.us]

Report drops bomb

Grand jury says Army staged find at former arsenal

By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News
July 27, 2002

A Colorado grand jury accused Army cleanup crews at the Rocky Mountain 
Arsenal of lying about their actions involving a dangerous munition and 
staging a phony "discovery" of the device as part of a coverup.

The grand jury's scathing report, made public Friday, didn't indict any 
individuals or  institutions in the case, but criticized the Army and 
its contractor for malfeasance relating to the discovery of an 
incendiary device called an M-74 last year.

The focus of the 10-month criminal inquiry was work conducted by the 
Army and its contractor, Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp., in an area 
of the arsenal known as the "boneyard." It's the same area that drew 
headlines in the fall of 2000 after sarin nerve gas bomblets were found 
there.

The report, an unusual product for a statewide grand jury, cites a 
series of deceptive and dangerous actions by officials at the Commerce 
City site. The 27-square-mile arsenal was once a manufacturing site for 
chemical weapons and pesticides and is now the
subject of a $2 billion Superfund cleanup.

[THIS ARTICLE CAN BE VIEWED AT:
.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1290235,00.html 
]

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