Hermiston Herald
November 6, 2001

Uncertainty remains over incineration's cost, schedule

By Frank Lockwood
Staff writer

HERMISTON - The Army's new cost schedules and timelines have reached
Hermiston. As expected, chemical weapons will remain longer, cost more to
destroy.

On Oct. 26, Site Project Manager Don Barclay explained the new timeline for
destroying the chemical weapons stored at Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal
Facility. Barclay met with interested citizens at the Outreach Office at 190
E. Main Street. The Defense Acquisition Board had requested a program status
update, so a review was held on Sept. 6. The Defense Acquisition Board
advises the Department of Defense on "critical acquisition" decisions,
Barclay said.

Ninety percent of the nation's chemical weapons stockpile is now under
contract for destruction, and 21 percent has already been destroyed. In
Tooele, Utah, 5,113 tons have been destroyed, which is more than the total
tonnage of chemical weapons which is to be destroyed at Umatilla. Johnston
Island's entire stockpile (705 tons) has been destroyed.

"Sufficient data now is available to allow for credible, defensible schedule
projections," Barclay reported, not based on design or theory, but on
experience and on lessons learned during operations at Johnston Atoll in the
Pacific Ocean, and at Tooele Utah.

At Umatilla and other disposal sites, updates will include life-cycle cost
estimates, program schedules, closure schedules for disposal facilities, and
technology decisions yet to be made for Colorado and Kentucky.
The program's costs have been revised from $15 billion to $20 billion, with
an "uncertainty range" which could drive that amount to $24 billion. The
uncertainty range acknowledges risks which are "beyond the control of the
Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization."

Under the new schedule, stockpiles will be destroyed between 2005 and 2009,
although unknown degradation of the stockpile, jelled M-55 rockets, and
environmental permitting processes push the uncertainty range to 2012, not
including Blue Grass and Pueblo.

A 2012 completion date could meet agreements in the international Chemical
Weapons Convention Treaty only if a five-year extension were granted, and
the treaties do contain provisions for such an extension. The present
international agreements, however, call for weapons to be destroyed by April
29, 2007.

Under the new schedule, Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility will
complete testing in February 2003, with closure commencing in November 2008.
Closure would be completed in Aug. 2011.

Systemization will focus on safely starting. Incinerators will be ready to
burn non-lethal "surrogate" chemicals in May 2002, and poised for actual
chemical agent operations in February 2003.

That schedule assumes, safe systemization, effective project and schedule
management, adequate funding, adequate Chemical Stockpile Emergency
Preparedness, no legal challenges to the project. It also assume that a
national independent oversight board that will not slow the project, and
that environmental permitting is timely.

Other assumptions were:
· Safety of workers and the public paramount
· Rockets destroyed first to reduce public risk
· Destruction rates and maintenance impacts based on Johnston Island and
Tooele
· Maximized secondary waste co-processing with munitions
· Charcoal changeouts for all filter-banks during agent campaign changeovers
· Furnace downtime and complimentary processing scheduled to maximize plant
availability

In spite of the pressure to complete demolition on schedule, "Safety is
PMCD's number one priority," Barclay said. "The program will continue to
destroy the stockpile, while ensuring worker and public safety and
environmental protection."

Original schedules were based on initial experience at Johnston Island,
Barclay said. "Now that the program has matured, the facility schedules were
revised, based on expanded operating experience and lessons learned at
Johnston Island and at Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility."
Information will continue to be "easily and promptly available," to the
public, according to Barclay, and citizens are encouraged to contact PMCD
Outreach Office for additional information about the Defense Acquisition
Board Review.

The Outreach Office is a clearinghouse for information regarding chemical
weapons disposal.

At Umatilla the Army plans to destroy some 3,717 tons weapons, including
bombs, mines, storage tanks and M-55. Umatilla maintains 11.6 percent of the
nation's original chemical weapons stockpile.

The Outreach Office has four names: It is formally known as the Program
Manager for Chemical Demilitarization Outreach Office, but also goes by
Umatilla Chemical Disposal Outreach Office, PMCD Outreach Office, or just
Outreach Office. The telephone number is (541) 564-9339.