Local
RICHMOND - Five recent fires at chemical-weapons
destruction plants in Oregon and Arkansas have raised questions about the
safety of one portion of the process that will be used someday at Madison
County's chemical neutralization plant.
But a potential change in that process, under study as a way to cut costs
for the plant at Blue Grass Army Depot, also is being viewed as a possible
safety measure. Members of the Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board got a briefing
yesterday on that and other proposals to make the plant smaller, reduce equipment
purchases and change some processes. Officials hope to cut $200 million to $400 million from the more than
$2 billion project. The most potentially controversial change is a proposal to ship hydrolysates,
the waste products that remain after chemical weapons are neutralized, out
of state for processing. The move could save about $40 million. At the Madison plant, rockets that contain the nerve agents GB and VX will
basically be guillotined -- cut into nine pieces. During that process, fires
have broken out at incinerator sites at Pine Bluff, Ark., and Umatilla Chemical
Depot in Oregon. Processing resumed in Pine Bluff yesterday, but the Oregon
plant is still closed. Causes of the fires haven't been found. While fires are not unheard-of at disposal plants, having five within six
weeks is unusual, officials said. Some of the same batch of propellant involved
in the Umatilla fire is stored at the depot in Madison County. Under the cost-cutting change being considered, the rocket's motor and
warhead would be separated and processed separately. If the motors are processed
elsewhere, less equipment would be needed, and less waste would be produced.
Because less propellant would be involved, an accident would be less severe,
officials said. Decisions on many of the measures are expected soon. The decision on shipping
hydrolysates is expected by Aug. 31.