Wednesday,November 14, 2007

By James R. Carroll
jcarroll@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

WASHINGTON -- Following the state's recent findings of lapses in the safeguarding of chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky lawmakers yesterday said the deficiencies are "a public safety issue of the highest order."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., and Rep. Ben Chandler, D-6th District, said in a letter to the Army that immediate steps must be taken to address what they called "these egregious violations" of safety.

The Army also must take "what actions are necessary against any supervisors" responsible for the safety problems, the lawmakers wrote to Dale Ormond, acting director of the Army's Chemical Materials Agency.

"As you well know, the weapons stored at the depot are among the most lethal in the entire U.S. stockpile, and they are located in the heart of the local community," the lawmakers said. "This is a public safety issue of the highest order; for the local community and for the employees at the depot."

They asked for a full briefing from the Army on its response to the state's findings.

Greg Mahall, spokesman for the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, said Ormond was out of town and had not seen the letter.

The Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection recently released an investigative report that found numerous holes in the safety procedures designed to keep 523 tons of aging chemical weapons from leaking and injuring or killing employees and the public. The depot is near Richmond, Ky.

"To say the least, the results were damning," McConnell, Bunning and Chandler said in the letter.

The state cited the depot for failing to properly prepare waste for disposal or shipping, improperly storing weapons in a way that caused the cracking of a rocket tube, failing to properly train employees in handling chemical leaks, and failing to provide adequate refresher training.

Some of Kentucky's findings were referred to state and federal criminal investigation agencies.

In their letter, the lawmakers said they were also disturbed about reports that the culture at the depot "allegedly stifles internal discussion and punishes those who raise concerns about depot safety practices."

"Accordingly, we urge you to take precautions to ensure that whistleblowers and other internal dissenters (including security personnel) are not only protected from retribution, as required by law, but that their input is included in efforts to remedy the safety problems the depot faces," the letter said.

"We're concerned about the training of folks there and want to make sure citizens of the area are safe," Chandler said in an interview. "You can't be too careful."

"I don't have any way of knowing just how bad it is, but I do know the report is out there that brings into question the safety situation for the citizens of the region and I don't think we should take any chances with it," Chandler said.

Craig Williams, director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, based in Berea, Ky., said "this is no time for business as usual if business as usual means cutting corners or people not getting adequately trained."

Asked if he believed the employees and surrounding community are safe, Williams replied: "Generally, I would say yes."

"The reason is that the potential for an incident to occur that would promulgate (deadly nerve) agent getting off that post in itself is very small," he said.

But he said he was concerned that the state has asked for criminal investigations of some allegations.

"The other big issue is that we now have a work force that is trying to construct this disposal complex immediately adjacent to the storage area," Williams said. "That work force is . . . going to grow to 600 or 800 people."

Those workers need to have the confidence that they are properly protected, he said.

Reporter James R. Carroll can be reached at (202) 906-8141.