Anniston Star
September 24, 2002

Senate passes bill that would tighten security in depot airspace

By Jason Landers
Star Staff Writer

The U.S. Senate late last week unanimously passed an amendment aimed at tightening airspace restrictions over the nation's eight chemical weapons stockpiles.

Coauthored by Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., the amendment attaches an additional anti-terrorist safeguard to the Homeland Security Bill, currently under debated in the Senate.

According to Anniston Army Depot officials, there have been 23 violations of the depot's airspace since flight restrictions were imposed following last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

"The FAA has been notified on all of these," said Depot spokeswoman Joan Gustafson. She said depot officials are confident pilots were either unaware of the restrictions or paid them no attention during routine flights to airports in Anniston, Oxford or Talladega.

About 2,200 tons of GB (sarin), VX and mustard agent are stored in 155 earthen-covered concrete bunkers at the Anniston facility. The amount represents about 10 percent of the nation's current chemical weapons stockpile.

Gustafson declined to comment about the defenses currently in place to deter an air attack at the facility.

While Shelby has conceded that little, if anything, could be done to prevent such an attack, he has said the measures in the amendment will ensure that flight restrictions are respected and violators are prosecuted.

"Sen. Shelby is pleased the Senate accepted his amendment to the Homeland Security bill," said Shelby spokeswoman Andrea Andrews. "It is crucial that we protect the Anniston Chemical Stockpile."

The Shelby-Bayh Amendment will:

• Strengthen Temporary Flight Restrictions over the depots and direct the Department of Defense to better enforce these zones.
• Direct the FAA administrator to report incidents of breached airspace to Congress.
• Require the Department of Defense to review and revise the TFRs to ensure that base commanders have adequate detection time.

"Bolstering security at our nation's chemical weapons depots is common sense," Bayh said in a press release. "Americans will be safer and should have more peace of mind knowing that the danger posed by the threat of an attack has been reduced."

There are substantial differences between the House version of the Homeland Security bill and the version being debated in the Senate. If the Senate passes a bill that differs from the House, differences between the two versions will be ironed out in a joint congressional committee. Changes are approved by both the House and Senate before the final version is sent to the White House for the president's signature.