Hermiston Herald
April 9, 2002:

Emergency preparedness level OK according to draft resolution

By Frank Lockwood
Staff writer

HERMISTON - A draft resolution distributed by a Umatilla County Commissioner
states that the county believes there is adequate emergency preparedness go
forward with incineration.

Commissioner Dennis Doherty has submitted for peer review the draft
resolution in anticipation of commencement of surrogate trial burns at
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.
Doherty distributed the draft at a meeting of the Executive Review Panel on
April 2.

"My intent is that the public, program managers, CSEPP staff, and
stakeholders would have the opportunity to comment to me or my colleagues
prior to our adoption of a resolution," Doherty's accompanying memo said.
Umatilla will go on record with a position before the May 14 meeting of the
Executive Review Panel. "This draft is what I have in mind unless something
transpires between now and then that dictates different recommendations," he
wrote. That statement referred to an April 18 public hearing as well as the
May 7 annual emergency exercises to be held throughout the two counties.

If adapted, the resolution would include the words: "We support a finding by
the Governor's Executive Review Panel that, for the purposes of the permit
condition, an adequate emergency response system is in place and fully
operational for the protection of the off-post community," and "We support
a recommendation to the Governor from the Executive Review Panel, that the
Army should be allowed to go forward with its operations to conduct trial
burns and then move to the destruction of actual agent without further
delay."

In the two host counties, Umatilla and Morrow, a total of more than 30,000
people reside in the Immediate Response Zone (IRZ), in the immediate
proximity of UMCD, and and additional 10,000 people reside in the outlying
Protective Action Zone (PAZ).

"These 40,000 people are exposed to the potential for a deliberate or
accidental on-post event which could cause the release of one or more of the
deadly chemicals included in the chemical weapons stockpile. This exposure
is constant, and is shared by the young, the old, the healthy and the
infirm," the findings would say.

Oregon Chemical Stockpile Emergency Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program
has been operating to assist the off-post community to prepare for
emergencies associated with on-post activities. The problem has been in
effect for more than 12 years and has lately been operating under an
intergovernmental arrangement which includes state, county, city and other
stakeholders, especially the rural fire departments, and "many citizen
volunteers" who participate.

The Army has entered into a relationship with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to administer the federal side of the SCEP Program.
The Army's proposed method for destruction of the chemicals is incineration.
"The broad community has accepted this methodology, even though some
individuals continue to assert their opposition," Doherty wrote.

Frank Lockwood may be reached at 567-6457 or by e-mail at
flockwood@hermistonherald.com.