WASHINGTON
Chemical weapons incineration in Anniston can begin without the approval of three of four key officials because Congress stripped that proposed requirement from the defense spending bill.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., had put the requirement in the bill, but it was removed during compromise negotiations between House and Senate members. The revised bill was approved Thursday.
Shelby's provision wouldn't have allowed the incinerator to start work until officials agreed safety precautions were adequate. A majority of a group consisting of Alabama's governor, the chairman of the Calhoun County Commission, the undersecretary of defense and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency would have had to agree.
Shelby had previously said he wanted the requirement to become law as an extra safety precaution, not an obstacle to starting the incinerator.
The governor already has the authority to block start-up of the incinerator if he believes the safety of the community is at risk.
The Anniston Army Depot has more than 661,000 chemical weapons, including rockets, land mines, artillery shells, mortar rounds and bulk containers in storage. Weapons like the nerve agents sarin and VX also are kept there.
The incinerator at the Anniston site is scheduled to begin destroying the weapons in June 2002.
