The Sept. 4 edition of the Hermiston, Ore. Tri City Herald ran a story entitled, “Depot Mini Test Burn Exceeded Emissions Levels.” The article spelled out how the Army recently had to admit to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality that emissions during a recent trial burn at the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Incinerator exceeded permitted amounts for heavy metals.The metals in question — arsenic, chromium, lead, nickel, and antimony — are all toxic. The failure to destroy these heavy metals calls into question the reliability of incineration technology and comes just weeks after ADEM ordered the Army to redo its surrogate trial burns carried out at the Anniston incinerator in March. It also comes on the heels of the Army’s admission that it has found VX in the waste stream at the Johnston Atoll incinerator. None of these events are confidence builders.
Kentucky is in the process of selecting an environmentally friendly and less risky alternative technology to destroy the stockpile in their backyard. Colorado has already selected neutralization to destroy its stockpile.
The Star’s readers need to be kept fully informed about the inability of incineration to safely and fully destroy these deadly weapons and chemical agents as well as other sites that are destroying their weapons by means of alternative technologies.
J. Keller
Jacksonville
Good roads
As we all know, this community could be subjected to another round of base realignment and closures.One of the issues to determine closure of an installation is the condition of the roads used for entrance and exits to and from the installation. The road leading to the industrial complex of the Depot (Eulaton Gate) is inadequate and in need of repairs.
When informed of this need, state Rep. Barbara Boyd immediately secured $91,000 from the state to rectify this issue.
Ms. Boyd, Anniston Army Depot and its 2,800 Federal employees thanks you. If all of our issues are handled with such professionalism we will survive and prosper.
Everett Kelley, President, American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1945
Bynum
Fire sale
In an attempt to gain votes in Escambia County, Gov. Don Siegelman has approved the sale of the state property to the city of Atmore. He claims this action helps both Atmore and the Department of Corrections, but in effect the governor, Sen. Pat Lindsey, Rep. Skippy White, and Mayor Howard Shell of Atmore have placed a substantial debt on the citizens of Atmore in order to supplement the Department of Corrections’ budget. Do we not have a state legislature that appropriates money to state agencies? Is this an occurrence the citizens of Alabama can look forward to often? The fire sale of their property to supplement mismanaged state agencies? Are we next going to sale the Governor’s Mansion to fund our school system?
If we do follow this new policy, shouldn’t the state seek the highest possible price for our poperty by placing the property up for the highest bid?
It seems Gov. Siegelman can get the best prices on real estate for himself, but when it comes to the citizens of Alabama we should settle for less.
Gov. Siegelman, the citizens of Alabama deserve answers to these questions.
Chris Terry
Atmore
