Anniston Star
August 1, 2003

Let us proceed

In our opinion
08-01-2003

The Army has the green light now. With this week's final permit modification approval sent from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Army can now begin destroying some of the most lethal weapons and warheads known to man; it is a process that in the end will make ours a safer and more robust community.

This community has long waited and watched, protested and promoted, had one terrific debate after another on whether incineration was the best viable option. The Anniston area, in particular, has been subject to environmental scrutiny from experts far and wide and from media channels national and international, from the perfunctory to the profound.

ADEM's final OK to the Army to "commence agent shakedown operations" means that the Army can now begin the trial burn whenever it likes. It is the first necessary step in the disposing of 2,253 tons of the chemical weapons now stored in concrete igloos at the Anniston Army Depot.

Army officials had sought the blessing of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley before the start-up, but he wisely chose not to sign on without some leverage, without a very reasonable clause that would have allowed him to shut the facility down should the burn operation experience unforeseen difficulties or should promises go unmet.

This page long ago reached the same conclusion as the Army, that the weapons must be destroyed and that at this time incineration is the safest and most efficient way to do that. It is a case where logic must ultimately overrule emotion. The weapons have long been a source of dread and fear in this community. We have lived under their shadow for long enough.

It is time, it is past time, to rid this menace from our midst.

While we appreciate the efforts made by our local city and county officials, Sen. Richard Shelby, and Govs. Riley and Siegelman, to go the extra yards to make this community safer in the event of an accident during incineration, we have never wavered from the firm belief that the greatest danger is now. The weapons are old and decaying; they are relics from the Cold War, were never meant to last this long. And, as President Bush reminds us since the events of Sept. 11, we live in a very different world now.

So yes, let's proceed with caution. Burn at night if we must; make sure protective measures and monitoring equipment is in place and running. But let us proceed. We simply cannot afford to wait any longer.