| Shelby, R-Ala., spelled out his concerns Friday in a letter to Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee. The letter was in response to alleged incidents of contractor Tetra Tech-Foster Wheeler hiding found unexploded ordnance at the former Army base instead of destroying the weapons. Shelby said the contractor’s actions had “severely damaged the confidence of state regulators and the local community.” “I believe that such mistrust within the local community will translate into significant and costly time delays for the completion of this cleanup, and may very well taint the reuse potential of the affected property,” Shelby’s letter says. Tetra Tech president and CEO Sam Box said company officials had not seen Shelby’s letter Friday. In a statement to The Associated Press, Box said the firm is working closely with state regulatory agencies and the Army to resolve the issue and move ahead on the project. He said the company “would be happy to have further discussions” with Shelby or his staff about the issue and actions being taken. Tetra Tech, based in Pasadena, Calif., has a $50 million contract to dispose of the weapons. Earlier this month, the state halted the cleanup after discovering unexploded shells behind trees, where they were found covered with leaves and dirt. Clint Niemeyer, a spokesman with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, said the discovery raised questions about whether more old shells may be hidden. While the cleanup is halted, state officials ordered the Army to inspect land within 100 feet of previously cleaned areas to determine whether additional rounds were present. The military is investigating, said Tim White, a spokesman with the Army Corps of Engineers. The allegations came at a time when Anniston and Calhoun County are “shouldering more than their fair share of defense-related environmental risks,” the senator says. He said it’s time for the Army to expand its “privatization effort already underway at Fort McClellan to include the remainder of the unexploded ordnance cleanup.” He said the local the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) should be given more involvement in the project. |
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