for more information:
Craig Williams (859) 986-7565
for immediate release: Wednesday June 7, 2001
In a story which appeared in the June 6 Deseret News, it was revealed that an internal Army audit of the U.S. program tasked with destroying the nation's chemical weapons, shows things are as bad or worse than opponents to incineration have been saying for years.
The February 2001 Army Audit Agency report, obtained by Deseret News reporter Lee Davidson, through the Freedom of Information Act, shows that thousands of design changes have been made at the Army incineration sites. These changes ignored cost, schedule and environmental impacts and violated rules both inside and outside the military in order to keep the program going.
According to Davidson's report, "Army investigators wrote that managers approved more than 3,000 design changes at various plants but 'didn't assess the full cost, schedule, environmental and operational effects,' even though rules require such evaluation."
And, "Investigators said construction schedules at some facilities were extended for up to 10 months 'to compensate for engineering changes that may not have been fully justified or adequately planned. More delays are likely.'"
Davidson cited the Audit Report as saying, "effects on environmental permits could cause lengthy delays because managers approved changes without assessing whether they complied with existing [environmental] permits."
Craig Williams, Director of the national anti-incineration coalition Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG) said, "We have said for a long long time that the Army's incineration program is mismanaged, years behind schedule and deliberately side-steps environmental procedures. The Audit Report proves us right again, just as we were proven right last month."
Williams' is referring to a recent battle between the CWWG and the Army around testimony presented at Senate Hearings where coalition members accused the Army of intentionally misrepresenting how quickly the weapons can be destroyed by incineration. The citizen claims were validated when the Congressional Research Service independently confirmed the accuracy of CWWG's schedule estimates and refuted the Army's position.
According to the now reported Audit, when it came to environmental compliance the Army managers repeatedly used the lines, "There may be an impact."and "Environmental documentation will be corrected as required." Audit investigators wrote, "Use of such canned wording clearly indicates that managers weren't concerned with whether changes complied with environmental permits or the potential effects of modifying existing permits until after they were approved."
"To be making the number of changes cited in the report without consideration of the environmental consequences is typical of the way this program is managed," said Williams. "Perhaps worse is the level of 'on the fly ' design changes that were made with no assessment of the 'operational effects.' This raises serious doubts about the safety of these incinerators," he said. "Approving design changes without knowing the impacts on operations demonstrates a crass disregard for public health and safety!"
Shortly after the Hearings in April, Senators McConnell (R-KY) and Shelby (R-AL) wrote Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld calling for a complete overhaul of the Program Managers Office that runs the weapons disposal program.
"These latest revelations should result in more than just
another letter," said Williams. "The unconsionable lack
of concern for the safety and well being of affected communities
and the level of mismanagement documented in the Audit Report
demands that those in charge of this program be shown the door."
The Deseret News story can be seen at <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,275009949,00.html?>.
 CWWG Home Page |
Contact us: |