The danger of an accident at the chemical weapons stockpile at the Anniston Army Depot has always been with us. But the plan to begin burning the lethal agents next year has brought about a renewed awareness of the possible dangers.That's good as it causes everyone to pay much closer attention to the situation. It causes us to stay engaged in the process. This is complicated stuff. It is science and engineering, it is public safety and public relations. It is hugely important, and the more we understand, the better off we all are.
While the Army should move forward with the quickest, safest method of disposing of these weapons, it is also important that the Pentagon and the federal government not shirk their responsibility on a number of other related issues. And we should all understand what those issues are.
For a long time now, many in this community have asked for a comprehensive health and environmental baseline study. The decision to do this rests with an office at the Centers for Disease Control that deals with chemical weapons disposal. So far there has been no word from that office.
Top personnel in the Army's program for chemical demilitarization have told us this is a neutral body. That may be, but we have to point out that this office is directly funded by the Defense Department.
This should be an easy call and any bureaucrat ought to see the wisdom in doing this study. Wouldn't it be helpful to have baseline health information on the community before the incinerator starts up? Of course it would.
We continue to be concerned about the federal government's silence on impact fees. There is no doubt this community deserves some amount of money to help offset the negative impact of the stockpile and the incinerator. The Calhoun County Com-mission has suggested $70 million. That seems a reasonable figure. Congress would have to appropriate such funds, but the Pentagon could certainly start the ball rolling by recommending the funds be paid out.
We have also heard precious little on the issue of relocation, a subject that should have been addressed years ago. We aren't talking about moving the whole of Calhoun County. But certainly there are residents - such as the ones profiled in a Sunday story by The Star's Richard Raeke - within a few minutes of the incinerator who should be moved.
The decision-makers in Washington should also know that talk of opening an industrial incinerator at the depot is supremely dumb. Our community signed up to build an incinerator to get rid of a dangerous chemical weapons stockpile, not to be a burning ground for all sorts of waste.
So stay engaged in the issue, Calhoun County. The better informed we are, the more likely our concerns are addressed.
