for more information contact:
Craig Williams: 859-986-7565
for immediate release: May 5, 2003
The Army has shut down its chemical weapons incinerator in
Tooele, Utah on Saturday-the third time since operations resumed
on March 28th. Resumption followed an eight-month suspension
of operations after a serious worker exposure incident in July
of 2002 forced the plant to close.
During those eight months, at a cost to taxpayers of more than
$72 million, the Army claimed to have done an extensive series
of safety and technical "corrective actions" and certified
that the facility was ready to resume operating. According to
an Army press release issued on the day of re-start , "The
critical measures that were identified in the safety improvement
program have been incorporated at TOCDF and verified through a
number of safety and operational reviews." However, only
10 days after firing up, the plant was shut down for 3 days, then
brought back on line for 9 days, then down for 5, back up for
8 days and now down 3 days - - so far, this time.
"This is not a confidence builder," said Craig Williams,
director of the anti-incineration Chemical Weapons Working Group
(CWWG). "We've been saying for years that this incineration
technology is fundamentally flawed and wonder when the Army will
finally admit it."
Operations at the Kalama Island incinerator in the Pacific were
originally predicted to take 5 years at a cost of $265 Million,
and instead took almost 11 years, at a cost of $1.3+ Billion.
While in Utah, the disposal of one class of weapon, the GB (Sarin)
filled M-55 rocket, was scheduled to take 6 months - instead it
took over 4 years.
"At this rate my grandchildren will be fighting these incinerators,"
said Williams.
The latest shutdown in Utah was due to VX, the deadliest of agents
in the U.S. stockpile, being detected in an observation corridor
inside the plant. Fortunately, according to an Army spokesperson,
there were no one in the area at the time of the incident.
Due to citizen opposition, incineration has been abandoned, in
favor of neutralization, at four of the eight chemical weapons
sites in the U.S. But three more burners are built - all in
very populated areas compared to the Utah desert (Anniston, AL;
Pine Bluff, AR; Umatilla, OR).
"With the history of agent releases, worker exposures, technical
malfunctions and schedule problems it's beyond reason to continue
down this path," said Williams. "All these glitches
were predicted by technical experts from the activist side years
ago, with many saying that this technology would result in fatalities.
We certainly hope the Army wakes up before these experts are
proven right, again. This is not a circumstance in which anyone
wants to say 'I told you so'."
 CWWG Home Page |
Contact us: |