Editorials
The governor speaks — In the wake of the GAO report
By our readers
08-20-2001
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Within a day of the release of a General Accounting Office report that deemed Calhoun County unprepared for a possible accident involving the chemical weapons stockpile at the Anniston Army Depot, the governor jumped on the issue. Don't start burning the weapons at the Depot unless all safety measures are in place, he said in a letter to President Bush. Good for the governor. He's looking out for us. But he should also know that continued storage of the weapons also presents a growing danger. And he should know that we all see the politics being played here, both by him and the new candidate for governor, Rep. Bob Riley who also made statements in wake of the GAO report. Political dealings aside, our county needs to move forward in establishing a clear plan for emergency preparedness. Of course, we should have been practicing emergency preparedness for decades now. Incinerating the weapons does not necessarily signify an increase in danger. So how are we going to get ready? The Calhoun County Commission needs to start participating in a region-wide public education campaign. It has so far refused to do so. But the federal government also needs to address the issues that most worry the commission. Those issues, which will cost around $30 million, are reasonable and should be paid for by the federal government. Progress, however, is being made. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said last week that they were going to adopt newer, more stringent standards for measuring the toxicity of the nerve agents in emergency preparedness planning. That is something the County Commission has been demanding for a long time now. It is time, then, for both the commissioners and the federal officials to solve the outstanding problems and get our county prepared.
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