Birmingham News
August 1, 2003
Editorial

Opinion

A matter of trust: Army should cede some control to Riley

08/01/03

The Army now has a permit from Alabama environmental officials to crank up a chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston. That's the only thing it needs, legally. But the Army needs to go beyond strict legal requirements and do what's right for the people of Anniston.

In this case, that means signing an agreement requested by Gov. Bob Riley that would allow him to shut down the incinerator if necessary to protect Alabama citizens.

It's true such power could be abused for political reasons. Why should the Army take that chance? For one thing, Riley hardly has a record of being anti-military or being unreasonable about the incinerator. He knows the risk of doing nothing far exceeds the risk of burning these chemical weapons. It would be foolhardy, even dangerous, for Riley to interfere with the incinerator's operations on a political gambit or whim.

But forget for a moment whether the Army should trust Riley. The bigger question is, why should the people of Alabama trust the Army?

The Army has a terrible track record when it comes to the issue of safety and the incinerator. First, it reassured Anniston residents that experts at Fort McClellan would be there if a disaster occurred; then, it shut Fort McClellan down.

From there, federal authorities resisted local efforts at emergency planning and instead paraded out ludicrous instructions for residents to follow in a disaster. At one point late in the game, residents were told to stay in their homes and breathe through wet rags - an approach the Army finally conceded wouldn't work.

Worse, the Army concocted a PR scheme (in writing, no less) to spatter Anniston leaders with all the blame for the sorry state of emergency plans.

And the Army is worried about trusting Riley?

The Anniston Army Depot is sitting on hundreds of thousands of weapons filled with deadly nerve agents. It's time to get on with the business of destroying them. But the Army should hardly be surprised if Alabama residents want extra assurance there will be someone looking out for their interests once the burning begins.

History has shown us not to rely too much on the Army for that. Entrusting the governor with this small measure of control is not too much to ask.