Published: April 20, 2007 10:40 am

Weapons disposal discussion heats up public forum

By Bill Robinson
Register News Writer

Burn them? Ship them? Neutralize them?

The questions that first surfaced in Madison County in the early 1980s about destruction of chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot remain on the table today.

They dominated a public discussion forum Thursday hosted by the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizen's Advisory Commission (KY CAC).

A heated discussion commenced almost immediately following a brief weapons disposal project update given by Doug Hindman, chair of the KY CAC.

Whitey Puro, a former employee of the Blue Grass Army Depot who saw some of the first chemical weapons arrive at the depot, was the first to speak once Hindman opened up the forum for public discussion.

Puro spoke in frustration about the delay in the disposal of the weapons at the depot that has now been given a completion date of 2023.

He also mentioned that when he was an employee at the depot, things were quite different.

"I don't know what's going on for sure," Puro said. "We usually completed the work without permits, without committees and no problems with funding."

He was speaking about the string of ongoing delays that has delayed the disposal of the weapons.

The first prediction as to when all weapons stored at the depot would be destroyed was the early 90s.

The process has been delayed several times because of funding, disposal and permit classification issues.

When incineration (or burning of the weapons as a means of destruction) was a considered plan for the Blue Grass Army Depot, many people were upset based on possible environmental dangers.

When the issue surfaced about shipping the weapons to another disposal facility, the community also was in discontent at the idea of sending the hazardous materials to other communities and transporting them on interstate highways or by train.

The chosen process for destruction of the weapons stored at the depot is neutralization followed by Supercritical Water Oxidation, better known as SCWO.

Richmond resident John Lackey is not so sure that this is the best, most efficient way of ridding the community of the weapons of mass destruction.

"If you want to hear the other side, I think I'm ready," Lackey said as he made his way to the front of the room.

He referred to a study done by scientists from Harvard, UCLA and West Point.

"It concludes by saying that this process, SCWO, is not going to work, and if it does work, it will take a long time," he said. "It may work, but that's why it's going to take until 2023 to get it done. The technology is getting better and better, and that's why 40 percent (of the nation's chemical weapons) have been taken care of."

Lackey suggested that perhaps the best means of disposal for the weapons is simply to ship them out of the area, stating that it was not that great of a concern to the citizens of Madison County today.

"We would prefer to have it shipped," he said. "It's ridiculous to keep it this long."

Craig Williams, KY CAC member and director of the Berea-based Chemical Weapons Working Group, responded by explaining some of what he said were some of the dangers.

"Are you advocating that we put M55 weapons on a plane and fly them around the world," Williams asked. "Do you not think that anyone would have a problem with this?"

"I don't think anybody cares," Lackey said loud with frustration. "We want it out of here!"

Richmond resident Bill Scott, former employee at the chemical weapons storage plant in Umatilla, Ore., expressed his overall disappointment with Kentucky's plans to destroy the weapons of mass destruction that have been deteriorating since their arrival at the Blue Grass Army Depot in 1941.

"Here we are, years later, and we still don't know what to do with them," he said.

Hindman admitted it had been a very long journey, but he suggested that the community now look toward the future instead of dwelling on the past.

"This whole program is years and years behind schedule and we could spend days and weeks as to why that has happened," he said. "But, I invite us to talk about where we go from here."

Hindman updated the group about current construction efforts at the depot being done to prepare for the chemical weapons demilitarization destruction pilot plant of which the design should be completed by January 2008.

Almost $2 million already has been spent on site preparation for the plant that is being built in order to both neutralize the chemicals and put them through the SCWO process in order to produce a non-hazardous waste.

The deadline for chemical weapons destruction at the depot has been delayed from 2016 to possibly 2023.

Hindman explained the potential reality of the effectiveness of weapons disposal efforts over time.

"There are remaining challenges," he said. "The funding has been problematic over the years, and I bet that before we're finished, it will be problematic again."

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.