for immediate release: August 30, 1997

National Organizations Opposed to the Army's Planned Incineration of Chemical Weapons in Anniston, Alabama to Join Congressman Bob Barr at Public Forum in Carrollton, Georgia. Groups say,"Toxic emissions don't stop at the state line."

Members of the national coalition, the Chemical Weapons Working Group
(CWWG), who oppose the Army's planned incinerator in Anniston, Alabama,
will be joining Army and Westinghouse Corporation representatives at a public
forum on Tuesday night at the Carrollton High School Auditorium. The
auditorium is located at 202 Trojan Drive in Carrollton.

The forum, to be held at 7:00 P.M., is being sponsored by 7th District
Congressman Bob Barr in response to questions raised by Georgia residents
concerning the impact of emissions downwind from the Army's planned
chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston.

Earlier this year the Georgia Legislature unanimously passed Resolution 174
which called upon the Georgia Congressional Delegation to "take steps to
initiate public hearings conducted by the EPA in northwest Georgia prior to the
construction and operation of the chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston,
Alabama." The resolution stated that, "the operation of such a facility has the
potential to affect the air quality, health, quality of life, and economy of the
residents of northwest and west central Georgia." EPA has not yet held such
hearings.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) issued a
permit to begin construction on June 19, 1997. Prior to the permit issuance,
the Army awarded the contract for the facility to Westinghouse Corporation.
Several groups in Alabama have filed an appeal to ADEM challenging the
permit which would allow the Army to burn more than 4.5 million pounds of
chemical warfare agents. The Coosa River Basin Initiative, with members in
Georgia and Alabama, will soon be challenging ADEM's permit which allows
construction and operation.

CWWG national spokesperson, Craig Williams of Berea, Kentucky, will be
attending the Carrollton forum on Tuesday, along with Mick Harrison, of
Greenlaw, a national environmental law firm. Harrison is the lead attorney in
the effort to shut down the Tooele, Utah incinerator which began operations
last August. Since operations began, there have been at least eight shut-downs
due to agent leaks, feed line breakdowns, numerous alarms and other serious
problems.

Just last month a Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge ruled that
the former chief safety officer, Steve Jones had been illegally fired for raising
safety issues at that plant. Mr. Jones refused to ignore over 3000 safety problems,
150 of which he classified as "imminent and catastrophic." The
Anniston incinerator is modeled after the Utah plant. Prior to this ruling, the
General Manager at Tooele, Gary Millar was also fired for raising safety issues.
There have been several additional whistleblowers since then including the
Chief of Hazardous Waste Compliance at the plant and other technical and
medical employees.

"There are two important points the public needs to keep in mind," said
Williams. "First, toxic emissions coming from these plants don't stop at the
state line. Second, the Anniston incinerator is modeled after an experimental
facility in the Pacific. That plant is years behind schedule and has had serious
problems including releases of live agent from the smokestack." The Army's
incineration program is currently 13 years behind schedule and 800% over
budget.

Harrison added, "With the revelations around nuclear test fallout and the Gulf
War Chemical Weapons exposures people need to question the Pentagon's
credibility on serious issues such as this program."

The CWWG and Greenlaw advocate disposal technologies that neither release
agent nor produce toxic emissions as part of the disposal process.

CWWG Home Page

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.