Holden Doesn’t Know Who Will Pay the Tab for the Latest Deployment

Governor Holden says he activated the Missouri Army National Guard military police unit out of St. Clair at the suggestion of the federal government, a suggestion not backed by a promise to pay for it. The unit is supplying additional security to the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant near Fulton. Other military police officers have been sent to the University of Missouri-Columbia to guard the nuclear research reactor there. The deployment will cost an estimated $45,000 the next ten days. The state is paying the bill right now, because Holden says the federal government hasn’t indicated whether it will cover the costs. The state was facing a tight budget prior to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has spent since September 11th to increase security at state buildings.