ARSENAL TO RECOMMENCE INCINERATION

By Larry Ault/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, May 9, 2006

The Pine Bluff Arsenal is preparing to start destroying stockpiled chemical weapons again after halting operations in January.

Personnel began transporting munitions from storage igloos at the arsenal to the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Facility on Monday, preparing to begin chemical weapons disposal "in the next couple of weeks."

In January, arsenal officials halted operations at the chemical weapons disposal facility to replace piping in the furnaces of the pollution abatement systems.

Carole Newton, a spokeswoman for the arsenal, said disposal operations are expected to resume "in the next couple of weeks."

Newton said the arsenal is "moving munitions again." She said 30 rockets were moved on Monday on two pallets which hold 15 rockets each.

"I am extremely proud of our successful completion of the system enhancement and expect a safe resumption of rocket and agent disposal operations," said Randy Long, PBCDF site project manager.

During the pollution abatement system enhancement, the fiberglass-reinforced plastic piping was replaced with a metallic alloy piping.

The material from which the replacement piping is made is expected to be more durable for handling the cleansing solutions used in the pollution abatement system.

The pollution abatement system cools and cleans exhaust gases from the furnaces that incinerate chemical weapons and agent, thereby protecting staff, the community and the environment from the emission of harmful pollutants, officials said.

So far, the Pine Bluff facility has eliminated 4.6 percent of the total amount of chemical agent at the arsenal, the nation’s second largest chemical weapons stockpile.