Tooele Transcript Bulletin
July 18, 2003

Global anti-incineration day points to DCD

by Karen Lee Scott
Staff Writer

Monday marked the second observance of the yearly Global Day of Action
against Waste Incineration and more than 235 groups from 62 countries
showed their protest against waste incineration. The day was organized
by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

The purpose of the annual meeting is to highlight supposed problems with
incineration. On that day the GAIA released a lengthy report entitled
"Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology." It attempts to explain why
incinerators are "an unsustainable and obsolete method for dealing with
waste." The GAIA report focused on industrial incinerator waste issues,
but also mentioned the weapons incinerator at Deseret Chemical Depot
(DCD).

The report said, "As a waste treatment technology, it is unreliable and
produces a secondary waste stream more dangerous than the original."
DCD disagrees with these statements and said "safety remains paramount
to the facility." According to Chuck Sprague, DCD public affairs
officer, the real topic is getting rid of the "dangerous chemicals that
are in stockpiles world wide."

GAIA Coordinator Ann Leonard said, "No other single technology has
stirred up such inflamed defiance from citizens and communities the
world over. Governments around the world should pay heed and start
implementing safe alternatives to incineration."

There is a coalition of communities working for alternatives to
incineration of chemical weapons in the U.S. known as the Chemical
Weapons Working Group (CWWG). Elizabeth Crowe, a member of this group
said "... the Army is still refusing to consider using those safer
technologies at four of the chemical weapons stockpile sites. This is
environmental injustice and hypocrisy at its worst."

While there is an alternative to weapons incineration, called
neutralization, Sprague said that the Army feels both processes are
equally safe and effective, but that because of the lack of water in
some areas like Tooele County, neutralization is not a feasible
alternative to an incinerator.

Other than what was mentioned in the report, Sprague said the DCD did
not receive one phone call, letter or email from anyone in opposition to
the Utah work site regarding the observance.

A complete copy of the 107 page GAIA report can be found at
www.no-burn.org.

e-mail: kscott@tooeletranscript.com