Richmond Register
February 7, 2002

Local group hears briefing on chemical weapons

by LUKE BRADSHAW
Register News Writer

Members of the Citizen's Advisory Commission, Richmond city Commissioners and Blue Grass Army Depot personnel got a glimpse into some of the groundwork that was laid out in order to address the alternatives to incineration Wednesday, as they began their first day of a three-day tour of the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Maryland.

The 'brief meeting gave some insight into how the alternatives to the incineration of the chemical weapons stored at the Depot came to be, as well as set up an itinerary on what the group would be seeing in the days to come.

All efforts to eradicate chemical weapons have ceased until the Olympics are over. Until that time, there will be no movement of munitions.

This is especially important for the Tooele, Utah, site, because the Olympics are in Salt Lake City. According to Jim Bacon, program manager for Chemical Demilitarization, the elimination of the GB (Sarin) nerve agent in Tooele is nearing completion. Next on the itinerary is their stockpile of VX nerve agent, he said.

"We are making attempts to accelerate the destruction of all munitions, especially in Maryland," Bacon said. "We will be excited when we eliminate all of the chemical agent in the US. "

Conrad Whyne, deputy-project manager of the Chemical Stockpile Disposal Project, said a decision for the BGAD would come sometime in July through Defense Acquisition Executive E.C. "Pete" Aldridge. He said a draft is completed but it must first be looked at by several agencies, including the PMCD, because it is site-specific.

Mario Fiori, assistant secretary of Army Installations and Environment, is the official in charge of all chemical demilitarization for the Army, The Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment falls under his domain, as well.

"I talk with Dr. Fiori frequently, and he is engaged and involved in the program," Bacon said. "I wanted you to know that chemical demilitarization is one of the Secretary of the Army's top five programs."

Congressional requirements for the report required by Public Law 107-117, which was supported by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are to gather an assessment of current risks under the Army's plan for the destruction of chemical weapons. Another very important requirement is that they assess the various alternatives, as well.

There are three elements that are entailed in the procedure. They essentially are a description and assessment of the current risks in the storage of chemical weapons arising from potential terrorist attacks; the description and assessment of the current risks in the storage of chemical weapons arising from storage of those weapons after April 2007, the required date for disposal of those weapons as stated by the Chemical Weapons Convention; and the description and assessment of various options for eliminating or reducing the risk in the process.

There are also several considerations that are inherent in making the final decision. There must be a plan for the disassembly and continued storage of the M55 Rocket, as described in the Army's engineering studies in 1985 and 1996. The study done in 1985 searched out the feasibility of disassembling the rockets and neutralizing the chemical agent. The consideration asked that there not only be identification of those procedures but also an adequate demonstration of them. The site in Maryland will attempt to shed some light on some aspects of that procedure.

The other two considerations are the 1991 Department of Defense's Safety Contingency Plan and the 1993 National Academy of Sciences' viewpoint on the disassembly and neutralization of chemical weapons.

On the tour are CAC members Doug Hindman, Amanda Stafford and Diane Kerby, Richmond City Commissioners Mike Brewer and Bill Strong, BGAD and Blue Grass Chemical Activity personnel Dave Easter and Maj. John Riley, Amy Conner of the Blue Grass Outreach office and ACWA dialogue member Elizabeth Crowe.