Chemical Weapons Working Group
PO Box 467 Berea, KY 40403
(859) 986-7565 (859) 986-2695
www.cwwg.org
for more information:
Craig Williams (859) 986-7565
Rufus Kinney (256) 435-4743
for immediate release: Friday,
March 5, 2004
"THE ARMY FIDDLES WHILE CHEMICAL
WEAPONS BURN:"
CITIZENS CALL THE LACK OF MODERN CHEMICAL
AGENT MONITORS A "NATIONAL DISGRACE;"
ALABAMA INCINERATOR FAILS PCB EMISSIONS TESTS
Two weeks after citizens groups asked
a high ranking Army official to investigate the Anniston, Alabama chemical
weapons incinerator, the groups are angered that no response has come, particularly
in light of additional incidents at the Anniston Army Depot and failures
at the incinerator this week.
"Its like Nero fiddling while Rome burned," said Rufus Kinney of Jacksonville,
Alabama. "Only this time the Army is fiddling while chemicals weapons
are burning near a population center of 75,000 people." Kinney added,
"This community is owed the decency of a prompt response and definitive action."
On February 16, Kinney's group, Families Concerned About Nerve Gas Incineration,
and 19 other organizations sent a letter to Michael Wynne, Deputy Undersecretary
of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, asking for a full investigation
of incidents at the Anniston incinerator since operations began in August.
The letter identified eleven specific areas of technical malfunctions, worker
safety incidents, and significant gaps in public information, indicating
a "serious pattern of events" at the facility.
Adding to the ire of local residents are more recent developments.
Last week the EPA announced that the Anniston incinerator failed its Trial
Burns, held in November, for emissions of PCBs - indicating they have been
out of compliance with federal regulations since operations began on August
9, 2003. On Tuesday, the Army confirmed a leak of GB (Sarin) agent
into the atmosphere from the weapons storage area.
Also, on Monday, March 1, monitors at the edge of the Anniston Army Depot
confirmed the presence of VX nerve agent, the most lethal agent in the U.S.
chemical weapons arsenal. The Army has not been able to explain the
source of the VX agent, and since all the monitor samples were destroyed
during the basic confirmation tests, there are no samples left to conduct
a more detailed analysis.
Reverend N.Q. Reynolds, President of the Calhoun County Chapter of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, said "They've gone and used up all the evidence
from the monitors that detected the VX agent, and now there is no way to
know for sure what happened. That makes me wonder whether the Army
really wants to get to the bottom of this."
Citizens in Alabama and elsewhere responded to the mysterious VX nerve agent
detection by calling on legislators to force the Army immediately deploy
improved monitoring systems at chemical weapons sites like Anniston.
Last November, federal lawmakers passed a "Sense of the Congress" amendment
to the 2004 Defense Bill, strongly urging the Army to use chemical agent
monitoring devices that can provide real-time, accurate confirmation of chemical
agents near the perimeter of the depots where weapons are stored and being
destroyed.
But so far, the Army has shrugged off Congress' recommendation. Craig
Williams, Director of the national Chemical Weapons Working Group coalition,
says the Army's reluctance to add better monitoring systems is a "national
disgrace." Williams said, "The military wants to show its stuff when
it comes to finding chemical agents overseas, but it refuses to deploy advanced
monitoring systems to provide reliable information to U.S. citizens.
Its shameful."
-30-
The February 16 letter to Secretary Wynne is available
on the CWWG website <www.cwwg.org>.
