Dialogue on Alternative Technologies Moves
Citizens and Army Toward Disposal Solutions

(The following is excerpted from the September 1997 issue of "Common Sense", the newsletter of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, published by the Kentucky Environmental Foundation.)

In the past, meetings between the Army and citizens opposed to incineration of chemical weapons have been anything but cooperative. At times they've been downright hostile. But a series of meetings between the opposing sides and regulators from state and federal government from all chemical weapons stockpile sites are being heralded as a new beginning towards solving the vexing problem of how to dispose of these deadly weapons. These meetings, called the Dialogue for Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (DACWA), were facilitated by the Keystone Center, a Colorado-based third-party mediation group.

Under the 1997 Defense Appropriations Bill, the Pentagon was given $40 million to "identify and demonstrate not less than two alternatives to the baseline incineration process for the demilitarization of assembled chemical munitions." One of the primary ingredients needed to fulfill that directive -- agreed to by the Army and citizens opposed to incineration -- is direct partnership by citizens in the decision making process leading up to the selection of the technologies to be demonstrated. Meetings between the various stakeholders have been held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Lexington, Kentucky and Baltimore, Maryland in an effort to resolve the often explosive issue of weapons disposal.

One of the main tasks of the group was to develop criteria by which various alternative technologies can be measured. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been sent out in the Commerce Business Daily, inviting companies to submit proposals for technologies which meet the criteria set by the Dialogue participants. Any proposals received will be measured against the criteria listed above. After being reviewed by a Program Evaluation Team, appropriate technologies will be recommended for demonstration testing. Results from the tests will be evaluated by the Program Evaluation Team and passed along to the Department of Defense (DoD) Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology. The DoD is responsible for reporting the group's findings to Congress. The deadline for RFPs was September 12.

The group used the consensus decision-making method, an effective, usually empowering, yet time-consuming process. For the Army and many other participants, consensus was truly a new way of making decisions. CWWG members like Evelyn Yates, with Pine Bluff for Safe Disposal, who participated in the dialogue were generally pleased not only about the prospect of safe disposal technologies being used, but also about the new decision-making process. "Through this dialogue, citizens were at the decision making table for the first time. It was the first time I felt we had any input to the activities of the Army," Yates said. "Although the people that were involved in the meetings are from different backgrounds, we were able to come to some kind of agreement about the decisions being made. We're finally making some real progress."

Here's a list of people to contact if you would like more information on the ACWA process:

ACWA Program Manager Michael Parker or Deputy Program Manager Bill Pehlivanian at (410) 671-3948; Kristi Parker or Michael Lesnick with the Keystone Center at (970) 468-5822; or the Chemical Weapons Working Group at (606) 986-7565 to get the names of people from your state who participated in the Dialogue. You can also get information from the internet at www.keystone.org/spp/policy/html, or www.cbdcom.apgea.army.mil/Staff/PublicAffairs/pm_frame.html.

Technology criteria are as follows :

1. The technology must be a total ACWA solution for at least one single agent-filled munitions type (like an M55 rocket). The proposed solution may include use of the existing reverse assembly process to access munition components (i.e. agent, metal parts, energetics).

2. The treatment process must be an alternative to baseline incineration.

3. The technology must utilize processes and equipment that are developed or are capable of being developed in time to meet the disposal program schedule.

4. Laboratory scale testing must have been completed with agent or chemical with similar properties to agent to support viability of technology being proposed.

5. Laboratory scale testing must have been completed with energetics or chemicals with similar properties to energetics to support viability of technology being proposed.

6. Technology provicers must have the legal right to use any proprietary technology for testing and demonstration purposes, as evidenced by unencumbered ownership or by an existing licensing or other agreement granting such right.

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Contact us: Chemical Weapons Working Group Kentucky Environmental Foundation P.O. Box 467 Berea, KY 40403 phone: 859-986-7565 fax: 859-986-2695 For comments about this WWW page contact Lois Kleffman.