Incinerator permits fought in Alabama...
(The following is excerpted from the September 1997 issue of "Common Sense," the newsletter of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, published by the Kentucky Environmental Foundation.)
Families Concerned About Nerve Gas Incineration (Families) and Serving Alabama's Future Environment, Inc. (SAFE) appealed the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's (ADEM) decision to issue 11 permits for the construction and operation of a chemical weapons incinerator at the Anniston Army Depot. The groups are asking the Environmental Management Commission to disapprove the permits, based on a number of errors made by ADEM. Representing the groups is David Ludder with the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation, a charitable environmental law firm.
The Army and its contractor for the Anniston incinerator, Westinghouse Electric Corp., received the permits in June, despite not having submitted a plan to eliminate hazards that would result from an accidental release of chemical agent to the nearby communities. "In the event an accident releases a sufficient quantity of chemical agents, death and injury are likely to occur before the evacuation sirens are activated," Ludder explained. "Evacuation time estimates have not been developed to demonstrate that successful evacuation is even possible. And, adequate transportation for populations such as school and day care children, nursing home residents, hospital patients, prisoners, etc. has not been arranged." He added, "Until a contingency plan that is designed to eliminate hazards to human health is submitted, the Department should issue no permits."
Families and SAFE are also challenging a part of the permit which requires Westinghouse to pay claims of people who may be injured by a chemical agent release. The permit requires Westinghouse to be able to pay $1 million per accident, and $2 million annually for multiple accidents. But the population surrounding the Anniston Army Depot is so high that $1 million wouldn't come close to covering injury claims. The groups argue that Westinghouse should have to demonstrate the capability to pay an amount much higher than $1 million per accident.
The appeal also argues that the permit fails to protect human health because it allows the emission of dioxin, a toxic compound known to be produced and released during chemical weapons incineration. The Environmental Protection Agency stated that the average human in the United States has already been exposed to an unsafe amount of dioxin, which can cause increased rates of cancer, reproductive problems, birth defects, and many other chronic illnesses. In addition, some populations such as breast feeding infants and developing fetuses are known to be extremely vulnerable to the effects of dioxin.
Along with the legal appeals process, Families and SAFE continue to push for non-incineration disposal technologies. "We are constantly fighting the belief that incineration is the only way to get rid of this stuff," said SAFE member Suzanne Marshall. "Its important for people to realize that there are lots of disposal methods that could destroy these weapons without destroying the public health and the environment. Alternative technologies are becoming more of a reality every day." The development of alternatives was even more important as of August 24, when the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce proposed a study on future use of the incinerator. Marshall said, "For Alabama to move ahead with incineration at this point in time is insane."
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