Incinerator marks a milestone as it finishes retesting

By Nathan Solheim
Assistant Metro Editor
03-18-2004

Workers at the incinerator hit a benchmark for destroying chemical weapons Tuesday even as they finished another set of tests on the facility’s ability to remove PCBs from its stack emissions. The incinerator has destroyed 50 percent of the Anniston Army Depot’s M-55 rocket stockpile — a milestone, even though it is a small fraction of the depot’s overall cache of chemical weapons. It reached that point as it completed the retesting requested by the Environmental Protection Agency stemming from the incinerator’s failure to meet strict federal standards for destruction of PCBs. Even as officials mark a 12 percent reduction in risk to the community having destroyed about 21,300 rockets, they are compelled to ponder the possibility of shutdown. Tuesday’s developments mean the incinerator is destroying weapons well ahead of two predecessors, on Johnston Island and in Utah. However, the test results could impact future attempts to rid the depot of the more than 2,000 tons of Cold War-era chemical weapons stored there. The EPA has authority to shut down the incinerator if it cannot meet federal law. Tim Garrett, the Army site manager for the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, said his work force deserves a pat on the back for safely destroying the rockets. He approached the test results with guarded optimism. “You don’t know,” Garrett said. “You’re measuring so low and we’re emitting such minor amounts, you’re at the edge of the analytical. It’s hard to measure nothing, or close to nothing.” The results of the tests won’t be known for at least two weeks. The test samples will be shipped to a lab in California for an analysis that will be watched closely by Army officials. Garrett said the incinerator missed the mark on the first set of tests, which were performed late last year, because the incinerator is trying to destroy small amounts of PCBs and the incinerator can’t push enough emissions out the stack for accurate measurements. He also said the federal law for PCBs, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is designed for industrial sources, not the small amounts of PCBs contained in shipping and firing tubes for M-55 rockets. The incinerator destroys the tubes along with the rockets in the facility’s deactivation furnace. Under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, TSCA, the incinerator must destroy 99.9999 percent of the PCBs. In the first set of tests, Garrett said, the incinerator met emissions standards under the Clean Air Act and under other federal laws. The EPA also asked Garrett to find any extraneous sources of PCBs. Garrett said incinerator officials tested air from outside the facility for PCBs and the EPA tested natural gas the incinerator uses in its tests. Nothing concrete has surfaced. “We have done what the EPA requested, there’s no animosity,” said incinerator spokesman Mike Abrams. “We will await their decision and I fully expect that when we receive it, we’ll discuss it.” The 50 percent benchmark was reached during the tests. In fact, most rockets destroyed so far have been eradicated under test conditions or during efforts to prepare for the tests. Only the EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management can determine when the incinerator can destroy rockets at 100 percent capacity, as both have oversight of the facility’s environmental and public health impact. But Garrett said the incinerator’s work force has performed well up to this point and reflects its commitment to safe operations. “It’s a good benchmark to where we’re at as far as the operation of the facility,” Garrett said. “But I stress safety here, not necessarily meeting a quota. It means a strong safety culture can still do well in destroying weapons from a production standpoint. Safety and environment first, production second.” Garrett noted that incinerator employees have worked more than five million manhours without a lost day due to an accident. Officials said they would regroup and prepare for another set of tests, called agent trial burns, on the incinerator’s ability to destroy crystalline or gelled M-55 rockets over the next few days.

About Nathan Solheim

Assistant Metro Editor Nathan Solheim is Minnesota native and a University of Georgia graduate.