Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Wednesday sent a letter telling Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey that he "would strongly oppose any proposal" to ship chemical weapons to Oregon from other states.

Such shipments "could increase the likelihood of accidents and terrorist attacks," Kulongoski wrote.

Chemical weapons are stored at eight Army sites, including Umatilla Chemical Depot near Hermiston. Each site has long planned to destroy its stockpile, and four sites -- including Umatilla -- are doing so. But Pentagon leaders, seeking to cut costs, told the Army to consider other ways to destroy the arms, including shipping them among sites. The Army has until March 24 to list proposals.

Such shipments are banned by a federal law and state regulations, including permits issued by Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality. Several U.S. senators have said they will introduce a bill banning the Army from even considering moving chemical weapons between storage sites. -- Andy Dworkin