Anniston Star
May 29, 2003

Local officials 'want to go ahead' - Mayors, business leaders ask that chemical weapons destruction begin soon

By Nathan Solheim
Star Staff Writer
05-29-2003

Local mayors and business leaders are set to deliver formal statements to high-level Army officials and ask that the destruction of chemical weapons stored at the Anniston Army Depot begin soon.

The Calhoun County Council of Mayors, a body consisting of every mayor in Calhoun County, plans to hold a press conference today to discuss the issue.

"It's just saying that we want to go ahead," said Weaver Mayor Ed Kimbrough. "That we feel like it's very important that we get the process started and destroy the gases."

The resolution, a formal request from locally elected officials to begin destroying chemical weapons, comes as county officials work to prepare residents in case of an accident at the depot. It's also the first time this particular elected body has weighed in on the issue of chemical weapons, Kimbrough said.

Claude Bolton, the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics and Technology, and Mike Parker, director of the Chemical Materials Agency, are to receive the resolution next week. Both men play a role in deciding when to begin chemical weapons destruction.

The mayors' resolution comes as various Army and federal officials are working toward completing several safety measures to begin operations at the incinerator. The timeline for beginning destruction remains unclear, but officials have said that a key indicator of the process will be when Army officials notify Congress of their intent to begin. That has not occurred yet.

"I think it's a unique statement, a non-inflammatory, non-accusatory encouragement to powers that be - local state and federal - to remove any further impediments to the incineration process," Anniston Mayor Chip Howell said. "We appreciate the Army, we appreciate their presence and have enjoyed the fruits of their presence for many, many decades. And they want to incinerate them and rid themselves, just as we do, as safely and efficiently as possible."

Meanwhile, the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, through its Military Affairs Committee, has also written a stronger resolution urging the start-up of incineration.

Chamber officials have said they worry that the longer the incinerator remains dormant, soaring costs and the likelihood of losing highly trained workers might derail the program altogether.

"We look forward to the day when the chemical weapons are gone," said Sherri Sumners, president of the Chamber. "I want to know the threat is gone."