KLEX Radio - Portland: October 22, 2002

Local Headlines
Deadly gas burning challenged

How to get rid of some of the worst chemicals known to man stored at Umatilla. That's the reason for a lawsuit underway Wednesday in Portland. The Army and Oregon DEQ are being accused of lying about the dangers of the incinerator at Umatilla. "The system does not work. We're hurting people, we're hurting the environment." That's Gary Harris, the former environmental officer at a similar incinerator in Utah, who says he's looked at Umatilla. "The same technology, the same equipment is going to be used." The army maintains the processes are improved, and burning is the safest, most reliable way to get rid of the thousands of tons of mustard, sarin, and VX gas stored there. It will be up to a court to decide whether to force the army to look at other methods.