Richmond Register
Feburary 15, 2002

Alabama governor sues feds

by JAY REEVES Associated Press Writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Gov. Don Siegelman claims the federal government reneged on plans to spend $40.5 million on gas masks and other safety measures to protect residents near an incinerator where the Army plans to begin destroying deadly nerve agents.

Siegelman sued the government Thursday seeking to block the opening of the $1 billion incinerator, located at the Anniston Army Depot, until the "maximum protection" required by law is provided.

"Not so much as a match will be struck in Anniston until the safety of our citizens is guaranteed," Siegelman said during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham.

Mike Abrams, a spokesman for the chemical weapons facility, said the continued storage of chemicals at the depot - not the incinerator - is the true problem.

"They will be a problem until we process them in our facility," Abrams said.
Rep. Bob Riley, who is seeking the Republican nomination to oppose Siegelman in November, said the suit doesn't make sense because federal officials have given "every assurance" they would provide the money.

"The last thing we need to do is get a bunch of lawyers involved," the congressman said.

An estimated 75,000 people live within 10 miles of the incinerator, which is about 60 miles east of Birmingham.

Siegelman said meetings between state officials and the Army resulted in an agreement last year to spend $40.5 million in federal funds on gas masks, protective hoods and other safety measures.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency later decided against part of the expenditure, based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that cited logistical problems and "psychological effects" of the safety equipment on people living near the incinerator.

Abrams, the incinerator spokesman, said the government is withholding only about $15.5 million, which was slated to purchase gas masks and protective suits. Instead of using the equipment, residents have been told to seal up rooms with plastic sheeting and duct tape if there is an accident.