Anniston Star
July 17, 2003

Final hurdles

By Nathan Solheim and Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writers
07-17-2003

The control room at Anniston Army Depot soon will begin to monitor the destruction of chemical weapons. File photo.

HUNTSVILLE

Gov. Bob Riley could sign off as soon as next week on the destruction of chemical weapons at the Anniston Army Depot.

State environmental regulators notified Riley Tuesday that they are close to approving a state permit that represents the last legal hurdle the Army faces before beginning incineration.

The Calhoun County Commission let Riley know in a letter last week that it will support his decision.

The governor said Tuesday night that it's almost time to sign off on an Army plan to begin destroying weapons on a limited basis this summer.

"We'll have to make a decision on that soon," Riley said. "Probably next week."

Riley was in Huntsville Tuesday night, stumping for his tax package, and talked briefly with The Star about the incineration issue while attending an awards banquet.

The recent developments and statements by Army officials could mean the destruction of the depot's 2,254 tons of chemical weapons will start in early August.

However, the Army is not ready to name a specific date for the start of incineration.

"We have not pinned down a date," said Army spokesman Mike Abrams. "And I do not know of the signature or the permit modification, or if there might be some tiny little caveat that still awaits us. Once we see all the things in place, we would be looking at a matter of 10 days or two weeks before we put the first rocket in."

Originally slated to begin operations in January, workers at the incinerator would need the extra time to refresh their training, Abrams said.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management notified Riley in letter Tuesday that the permit is almost complete.

The permit would enable the Army to begin destroying 42,762 M55 rockets containing GB nerve agent.

ADEM officials have said they must give the governor 10 days' notice before issuing the permit.

"It's something that goes back to the Siegelman administration and has carried over to the Riley administration," said Steve Cobb, chief of the governmental hazardous waste division at ADEM. "That they have requested advance notice of 10 days."

ADEM officials would not give details of the permit, which has been a contentious issue for environmental officials and community action groups.

Meanwhile, the Calhoun County Commission has informed Riley that four major protective actions they required before they would support incineration are completed or are close to completion.

Collective protection of local schools is expected to be complete by October. Workers have not finished delivering protective equipment to residents with special needs. But Commissioners are satisfied with progress in each area.

The other protective actions required by the commission - use of new toxicity standards and Army notification of residents in the pink zone in case of an incident - already have been implemented.

The commission left to the governor the decision on whether the Army can start destroying the weapons this summer.

Commissioners have fought a long and sometimes bitter battle to obtain federal funding for protective measures for county residents.

"We are specifically behind his decision, we'll endorse his decision; if it continues to lag and drag our feet, the process will never take place," said Calhoun County Commission Chairman James A. "Pappy" Dunn. "We're concerned with FEMA and the various others completing the safety measures."

The letter represents a significant shift in the commission's stance on the incinerator, which had been to delay the startup until all safety measures were in place