Defense Environment Alert
June 3, 2003

ALABAMA OFFICIALS WANT ARMY TO DEVELOP DISPOSAL'CONTINGENCY PLAN'

Alabama county officials near the Anniston Army Depot's chemical weapons incineration facility are pressing the military to develop a contingency plan that identifies alternative disposal methods, just in case the Anniston incinerator experiences prolonged shutdowns, as has occurred at similar facilities on Johnston Atoll and in Tooele, UT.

The Army acquisition chief is expected this week to respond to the commissioners' May 12 request, according to Army spokespeople.

In their letter, the Calhoun County commissioners say the contingency plans should include, but not be limited to, the following items:

• Identification of alternative treatment options for disposal of the stockpile located at the Anniston Army Depot, including successfully demonstrated or deployed approaches utilized under DOD's Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment program;
• Engineering and design plans for these identified options;
• State and federal permitting requirements for the deployment of these identified options; and
• Cost and schedule analysis for deployment of these identified options.

But while the commissioners point out previous problems at the Army's other chemical weapons incinerators and delays in meeting community safety requirements at Anniston, they say the Army need not develop the contingency plan before it begins operations at the Anniston incinerator. "Let us be clear: We are not asking that this plan be completed as a precondition for our support for the initiation of the destruction phase," they write. They add, however, that they "sincerely hope and expect this contingency plan can be developed quickly and concluded as expeditiously as possible." The earlier a contingency plan is in place, the quicker and more safely the weapons destruction will be, they say. The letter is available on InsideEPA. com. See page 2 for details. I The commissioners note that the Anniston facility will use incineration technology modeled after the incinerators at Johnston Atoll and Tooele. "Although these two incinerators have destroyed a significant amount of our nation's chemical weapons stockpile, the incineration of these weapons has not been achieved without some real problems," the letter says.

For example, the Tooele facility was shut down for several months in 2000, after there was a leak of sarin from the facility into the atmosphere (Defense Environment Alert, Sept. 26, 2000, p 10). And the Tooele facility was also closed for eight months beginning last year after workers were exposed to sarin at the facility (Defense Environment A Alert Oct. 22, 2002, p 10). Although the Tooele facility reopened in April, "it has already been shut down three times because of the problems the facility has experienced during its transfer from destroying sarin munitions to destroying that facility's VX weapons," the letter says.

At Johnston Atoll, during this same period, VX was discovered in the waste stream, and a completed incinerator at Umatilla, OR, has also experienced problems during its trial burn process, the letter says.

"While the Army believes it can resolve any problems which may arise at [the Anniston facility], the events at Johnston Atoll, Tooele and Umatilla strongly suggest problems may occur at [Anniston] as well," the commissioners write. In fact, in early May, "officials at the Tooele facility said shutdowns due to malfunctions 'should not be unexpected' when the incinerator is ramping up to destroy another type of agent," the letter says.

The commissioners say they do not want to contemplate the possibility that the Anniston facility will not be able to complete its mission or could be significantly delayed in the process. But they also say they believe this potential contingency must be addressed. For example, a shutdown could occur due to worker exposure or agent releases, similar to those that have already occurred at other plants; the passage of more stringent environmental regulations for combustion facilities; legal challenges and technical problems, the letter says.

"Contingency plans have always played an important role in the development and execution of military operations. The destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile here should be no different," the commissioners write. "Unfortunately, it is our understanding that no such contingency plan exists for [Anniston]. This is most troubling, and we feel the matter requires your immediate attention."