Published: November 14 , 2007

Lawmakers: Depot results 'damning'

Call for 'immediate and decisive action'

Bryan Marshall
Register News Writer

A letter sent Tuesday by U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning and U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler to the Chemical Materials Agency calls for "immediate and decisive action" to ensure that employees at the Blue Grass Army Depot are "properly trained to prevent release of chemical warfare agents."

The letter comes in response to a report released Nov. 1 by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection about the status of the storage of chemical weapons at the BGAD in Madison County.

"We need to ensure that the people involved in the storage of the chemical weapons stockpile at the depot are properly trained so that the people living in Central Kentucky are safe and secure," said McConnell, who added that he appreciated the support of Bunning and Chandler.

Nine recent allegations out of 40 concerning operations at the depot will be turned over to state and federal criminal investigators, according to the site inspection report.

The three most serious allegations are a cover-up of an employee's exposure to harmful levels of chemical agent, inconsistencies in monitoring log signatures and the demotion of an employee who refused to sign off on a standard operating procedure.

Those allegations with a potential criminal nature have been sent to the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet’s Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division.

Other serious allegations are complaints "about monitoring deficiencies, operating procedures, systematic operational failures and miscellaneous problems in the abilities of instruments and personnel to perform the sensitive task of monitoring the chemical weapons stockpile housed at the Blue Grass Army Depot, and more specifically, the Blue Grass Chemical Activity," according to the inspection report.

The investigation began Sept. 1, 2006, said Dick Sloan, public affairs officer for the Blue Grass Chemical Agency (BGCA), which is the agency in charge of overseeing the proper maintenance and surveillance of the depot's 70,000 M55 rockets containing the nerve agents VX, GB and Mustard.

In the letter to Dale Ormond, acting director of the Chemical Materials Agency in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the lawmakers said they were "gravely concerned by the findings" of the report, which they described as "damning."

"The weapons stored at the depot are among the most lethal in the entire U.S. stockpile and they are located in the heart of a local community," the letter stated. "This is a public safety issue of the highest order for the local community and for the employees of the depot."

"We believe that you must put in place proper procedures to rectify the situation, as well as take what actions are necessary against any supervisors responsible for these egregious violations," the letter continued.

One particular part of the report gave legitimacy to a complaint from a former BGCA whistleblower.

Donald Van Winkle of Berea released an official affidavit Aug. 25, 2005, summarizing his concerns that leak detection devices for the deadly VX agent at the depot were not properly working. His complaint was filed under the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

"In February or March of this year, I, along with other BGAD employees, attended training sessions with the manufacturer of the air-monitoring equipment we use," Van Winkle wrote in his affidavit. "During our training, we learned that the (air) sampling (methods) being used at BGAD to monitor the seven igloos that store munitions containing agent VX were incorrect."

In his affidavit, Van Winkle also revealed: "Conversion pads in the monitors have an effective life of between 10 and 30 days, but are often changed far less frequently."

VanWinkle is only one of several past whistleblower employees of the Blue Grass Army Depot and/or the Blue Grass Chemical Agency.

According to the site inspection report, VanWinkle's claims were legitimate: "BGCA should continue to ensure … that the replacement schedule is followed, and replacement occurs for each of the pads in service on at least a three-month interval, as outlined in the Conversion Pad Service Life Study submitted on Aug. 30, 2007."

McConnell, Bunning and Chandler also are "troubled by reports we have heard about the culture at the Chemical Activity, one that allegedly stifles internal discussion and punishes those who raise concerns about depot safety practice."

"We urge you to take precautions to ensure that whistleblowers and other internal dissenter, including security personnel are not only protected from retribution, as required by law, but that their input is included in efforts to remedy the safety problems the depot faces," the letter stated. "With so much at risk, 'business as usual' will not suffice."

The lawmakers also said they would like to fully briefed in the upcoming weeks about the conditions reflected in the report and what concrete actions have been instituted to remedy the matter.

"We have an obligation to do everything we can to make sure that workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot have the tools and training necessary to deal with these dangerous weapons and keep the residents of Central Kentucky safe from potential contamination," Bunning said.

"My first priority has always been to ensure the safety of Central Kentuckians and employees of the depot," Chandler said.

Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.