East Oregonian
June 13, 2002

Governor approves CSEPP program: Kitzhaber OK moves Army closer to chemical weapons incinerator test

By HEIDI SODERSTROM
of the East Oregonian

HERMISTON --The northeast Oregon emergency preparedness plan for dealing with an accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot is "adequate and fully operational," Gov. John Kitzhaber said Wednesday.

The governor's certification of the plan completes one step on a Department of Environmental Quality checklist that must be completed before the Army can proceed with test burns to dispose of chemical weapons at the Depot just west of Hermiston.
Kitzhaber signed a letter to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission Wednesday giving final approval to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) and certifying that communities surrounding the Depot can handle any disaster that could occur.

"My certification is the culmination of years of work by hundreds of people who have toiled to make their communities safe in the event of an accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot," Kitzhaber said. "I am extremely proud of the way the communities in Umatilla and Morrow counties, along with our partners in Washington state, have pulled together to build a strong emergency preparedness program, and I have full confidence in it."

Mary Binder, spokeswoman for the Depot, said today that the Governor's decision is "a very important step forward. But it's only one of the items the Army needs to complete the checklist before DEQ will give permission to start surrogate (test) burns."

Completion of the checklist "called a compliance assessment " is vital because only then will the DEQ give the Army a Hazardous Waste Storage and Treatment Permit. The permit would allow the Army to use four incinerators to destroy the 3,717 tons of nerve agent and blister agents stored in liquid form at the Depot since 1962.

Wayne C. Thomas, administrator of the Chemical Demil Program at the DEQ, said a decision on that permit is getting closer.

As of this morning, Thomas said only three of 55 issues remain unresolved on the assessment checklist.

Those requirements are:
Approval of a certification of construction for the heating, ventilation and cooling system at the incineration complex. The system filters the air coming out of the building. Approval is expected Friday, Thomas said.
Updated drawings that show all changes made to approved designs or specifications. The drawings must include narratives and rationales for the changes. "We're getting close to the end," Thomas said.
The DEQ must issue a letter to the Army notifying them that they can proceed with test burns.

"So within the next few weeks, we'll issue our decision," Thomas said. "I'm not sure where the Army is with the start-up plans, but I think they're close."

Binder said the Army should complete an eight-day test today of the system partly responsible for holding up the start of test burn process at the Umatilla Chemical Depot's incineration plant.

A new date has not been set for the start of trial burns, but Binder said the earliest it would happen would be July.

The CEMS monitoring system measures carbon monoxide and oxygen levels at the incinerator. Loren Sharp of Washington Demilitarization Company, the company responsible for building and operating the incinerators, said they were having "substantial challenges" in calibrating the system, which required a test device to be built and sent from the manufacturer in England.

Kitzhaber's certification of the CSEPP program was critical to the start-up process, however. He pointed out that in 1999, the program met just a few of its emergency performance measures.

"In the most recent comprehensive exercise last month, it met all 15 " an extraordinary achievement in so short a period of time," Kitzhaber said.

Kitzhaber said it's his desire to keep CSEPP at its current "high level of effectiveness," which will require a sustained effort and continued federal funding, until all the chemicals are destroyed.

"For this reason, I am asking my Executive Review Panel, which consists of first responders, local officials and tribal leaders, and state agencies, to continue meeting at least once a year, and to report to the Governor on the condition of CSEPP.

"Should CSEPP ever fall short of its present high standards, the governor may then ask the EQC to take corrective action through the permit process. I am confident that this on-going mechanism will guarantee a robust CSEPP for the duration of the incineration."

Reporter Heidi Soderstrom can be reached at 1-800-522-0255 (ext. 1-303 after hours) or e-mail hsoderstrom@eastoregonian.com.