Moving WMDs discussed
during Appalachia series
By ROGER LEE OSBORNE/Staff writer
In a presentation entitled "Homeland
Security Here at Home: Protection from Environmental Threats of Kentucky's
WMDs," Elizabeth Crowe, of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, mapped
out what Kentuckians should fear about the stockpile of chemical weapons
stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
Crowe recounted the first time she heard about the Blue Grass Army Depot
from some Berea College students, who warned her if she was driving to Richmond
on U.S. 25 to be sure and keep watch for cows falling over or running the
other way.
"That was my introduction to the area and the issue that there are tons of
chemical weapons stored at the Army depot," Crowe said.
Monday's presentation was part of Eastern's Appalachian Studies series, "Citizen
Activism in Appalachia." The 1990 citizen-founded KEF was formed to ensure
the safe and efficient disposal of the chemical weapons stored in Kentucky.
The chemical weapons stored at the Army depot were brought to Richmond in
the 1950s and '60s. Crowe said she is thankful the weapons were never used,
but is disappointed in the lack of action concerning the disposal of the
weapons.
"The stored weapons have left us a horrible toxic legacy that has gone on
for decades. Our generation is now faced with the problem of how to get rid
of them," Crowe said.
It wasn't until the mid-'80s that the Army announced publicly there are chemical
weapons stored at the depot.
"There were people obviously who knew there were chemical weapons stored
at the depot because they worked there or had a family member working there,"
Crowe said.
After Congress directed the destruction of the chemical weapons in 1985,
the Army announced it would use a process known as incineration, a burning
process that releases chemical agents and toxins into the environment.
Community members were first given the option of burning the chemicals here
or having them transported and burned somewhere else.
The option of transporting the weapons was ended when "not in my backyard,"
also known as "NIMBY," was coined by opposing members of destination sites
when they found out about the arrival of the weapons near their families
and homes.
"Originally people were saying 'You brought them in, you can transport them
out,' but that didn't last long when complaints came from other communities
who didn't want them," said Crowe.
"I wasn't there but I imagined the Army announcing they were going to burn
the chemicals and then they waited for the applause, but none came," Crowe
said.
It wasn't until 2002 that the Army formally announced it would use a neutralization
process, a safer method of destroying the weapons without releasing harmful
pollutants.
After the recent cuts in the national budget for funding to Kentucky's and
Colorado's chemical weapons disposal programs, the Army has once again brought
up the idea of transporting the weapons.
"How are we going to deal with this issue? We were marching forward and everybody
had come to an agreement, then all of the sudden there was no money," Crowe
said.
In a newsletter from the Chemical Weapons Working Group, a national coalition
of communities affected by chemical weapon storage facilities, citizens are
urged to "tell Congress and the Pentagon that 'homeland security' from lethal
weapons of mass destruction begins here at home."
For more information on the lecture and film series, call the Center
for Appalachian Studies at 622-3065 or for information about the Chemical
Weapons Working Group, visit <www.cwwg.org>www.cwwg.org>.