Hermiston Herald
Nov. 22, 2002

More than economy needs to be fired up

Guest Commentary by Frank Harkenrider

Dear Governor-elect Ted Kulongoski:
Congratulations on your election as governor of Oregon.

You plan to "fire up the economy," according to a headline in The Oregonian. If you want to help Northeastern Oregon, you will also throw your support to firing up the Umatilla chemical weapons incinerator for the following reasons:

• The U.S. Army and its contractors have safely incinerated millions of pounds of chemical agent since 1990 at Johnson Atoll in the Pacific Ocean near Tooele, Utah. Five more disposal plants around the U.S., including Umatilla, are scheduled to operate in the near future.
• Hundreds of men and women from our communities are engaged in the project to build, test and operate the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. This workforce is moving forward with the support, appreciation and cooperation of communities surrounding the Umatilla Chemical Depot.
• During the project's ongoing testing phase, the Army is fine tuning the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility to ensure it will work at maximum efficiency during actual disposal operations. Through the "mini" burns and upcoming surrogate trial burns - in which no chemical agents will be used - the Army is putting greater demands on the incinerators than they will face during actual operations to prove their efficiency and safety.
• For more than two decades, the nation's best scientists have researched, reviewed and overseen the disposal program and have concluded that incineration is safe, effective and proven. In Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Quality Commission have been exceptionally vigilant in their mission to protect human health and the environment.
• The United States is making a better world by preparing to destroy Umatilla's chemical weapons. The Army and communities surrounding the Umatilla Chemical Depot are taking a leading role in the movement to eliminate chemical weapons worldwide through the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty.
• Safety and security remains paramount at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. To demonstrate its interest in protecting our citizens, the Army has greatly increased its security force and moved its mustard stockpile to a safer location since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

There are many important issues in our area, such as water, school funding and keeping our prisons open. We are on track to solving our problem with chemical weapons, but your support is critical to moving forward without further or unnecessary delays. With your help, we can get it done.

I encourage you to join us in supporting the expeditious disposal of Umatilla's chemical weapons as an issue of vital concern for our communities.

Frank Harkenrider is the former mayor of Hermiston.