Thursday, January 20, 2005
KATHERINE BOUMA
The Army said Wednesday it is studying moving chemical weapons across state lines for destruction, leading to fears that Anniston will be the destination for truckloads of nerve gas weapons from Kentucky.
Anniston's nerve gas incinerator has been in operation since 2003,
destroying sarin-loaded rockets and ammunition that have been stored at Anniston
Army Depot for 40 years or more. Ultimately, it is expected to destroy more
than 660,000 Cold War-era weapons loaded with sarin, VX and mustard agent
by the end of 2010.
The Army has said that for safety reasons, weapons from each of the nation's
eight chemical weapons stockpiles must be destroyed on site. However, recently
the Army has said it is cutting funds for neutralization operations in Kentucky
and Colorado.
At the same time, a leaked memo mentioned transporting weapons between sites. That led to speculation that the Army was considering moving weapons from Colorado to Utah and moving 101,764 weapons from Kentucky to Anniston or Pine Bluff, Ark.
Anniston is less than 400 miles from Blue Grass, Ky., where the weapons are stored. Pine Bluff is more than 600 miles away. The geography has Craig Williams, executive director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, concerned on Anniston's behalf. But he believes Anniston may have a political advantage because of its immediate opposition to the news.
"I think the level of response in Alabama has been significant and has been quick, and I don't see that in Arkansas," said Williams, whose Kentucky-based group represents watchdog groups at all eight sites. "I don't see the level of opposition that has been seen in Alabama."
Jeff Lindblad, a spokesman for the Army in Aberdeen, Md., said the Army's proposal is not now allowed under federal law.
"Current law prohibits the transportation of chemical weapons across state lines or within a state," Lindblad said. "We're running a `what if?' drill."
Alabama's ranking U.S. senator says he opposes interstate transport of weapons.
"We've been assured in the past that the incinerator was built only for weapons in Anniston and, after that is done, that would be it," said Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. "I will do everything I can to make sure they don't ever bring more nerve agents into Anniston."
Shelby, a senior member of the appropriations committee, said Congress should also make sure that the Kentucky site is built on schedule.
Lindblad said it's too soon to say what the Army will consider in its study. He said the objective is to meet a 2012 destruction date required by an international treaty.
Williams said, "Having watched this program for almost 20 years, I can tell you, if the Pentagon thinks they can cut costs or save time, they will do so."
But he said it is speculation that moving the weapons could save money. Now, when workers move weapons around the Anniston Army Depot, they use vast protective trucks that cost about $1 million and hold about 24 rockets each. They move at 2 mph and only during clear, daytime conditions to avoid accidents with the aging, explosive weapons.
It's not clear what measures would be required to move the weapons off the base, but the transportation alone would be extraordinarily expensive, Williams said, even before considerations of security, logistics or public sentiment.
Most of the weapons, which also are stored in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Indiana and Maryland, have been in storage since the 1960s without ever leaving a secure facility, where no one can enter without background checks, nerve gas mask training and other precautions. Risk of terrorism was cited in the 1980s as one of the reasons to build a destruction facility at each weapons storage site.
News Washington correspondent Mary Orndorff contributed to this report. kbouma@bhamnews.com