Speaking of the incinerator, Gov. Don Siegelman is considering whether to renew his lawsuit against the federal government to prevent it from destroying the 2,253 tons of nerve agent.The threat comes on complaints from the Calhoun County Commission that it is waiting for $7 million for protective hoods for residents and protective suits for emergency workers. The governor and the county commission are right in pushing for the protective equipment. We should have all options available to us.
With that said, the governor should not push the matter into the federal courts where it may hang for months, if not years, while the stockpile remains.
Threatening a slowdown of the weapons’ destruction in this new global environment is not only illogical but dangerous. We have a proven, effective method of removing this menace now.
Let’s not expose ourselves to it any longer than necessary.
Recently the Pentagon has complained about cost overruns and schedule slippage in the chemical demilitarization. But are we, as residents, supposed to get upset that the Army is spending more on the destruction plant than originally budgeted? It would be much more troubling if the Army was cost-cutting at the incinerator. Imagine slashing the staff and the budget at the lab, for example. Talking about going from bad to worse.
As for schedule slippage, it’s curious that incineration opponents will criticize the Army for being behind schedule and then tell us to wait, wait, wait for an alternative technology to come along.
Within two years, according to the Army, the greatest threat to the community, the chemical M-55 rockets will be gone from the Anniston Army Depot and the face of the earth.
That’s what we all should care about.
