Birmingham News
July 30, 2003

Burned in Anniston; Riley tries to offer insurance to incinerator skeptics

07/30/03

As important as it is to destroy the Army's chemical weapons stockpile, nothing is more important than doing it safely. Gov. Bob Riley knows this.

Riley's office has been working for months to iron out an agreement with the Army and the Department of Homeland Security on terms for firing up a chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston. Recently, Riley requested a clause that would allow him, in effect, to shut down the incinerator if the Army doesn't meet its commitments to protect the people of Anniston and Alabama.

In this age of prenuptial agreements and book deals and movie rights, Riley's request is not particularly outrageous. It especially looks reasonable given the Army's track record in Anniston.

The incinerator is expected over the next decade to burn more than 660,000 shells, rockets and mines stored at the Anniston Army Depot. It's important that these deteriorating weapons be destroyed before they leak more than they already have and expose thousands of people to deadly nerve agents.

But the Army badly bungled the emergency preparations for the Anniston incinerator. First, it closed down Fort McClellan after promising the base's resources in an incinerator accident. Then, it gave erroneous, conflicting disaster instructions to those living near the incinerator. Then, at the last minute, the Army proposed several changes in procedures that could adversely affect safety.

In the midst of all this confusion, Alabama elected officials set certain conditions that would have to be met among them, protections for area schools and disabled residents and an updated emergency response plan.

The Army expects to have those conditions met in October, but it would like to begin the incineration process in the meantime. It doesn't technically need Riley's permission to start, but it does need an environmental permit from the state. The state environmental agency has indicated the permit may be forthcoming.

Even so, the Army would be wise to sign off on Riley's request. Giving the governor this power as a fallback would afford at least a level of assurance in Anniston that safety concerns will be addressed an assurance that is sorely needed because of the Army's past conduct.

If the people of Anniston are skeptical about the incinerator, it's because many feel they've already been burned by the Army.