It is heartening to know that Alabama’s senior U.S. senator, Richard Shelby, is taking such an active interest these days in the operations concerning the chemical weapons disposal project at the Anniston Army Depot.In the past several months Sen. Shelby and his staff have worked hard to make sure that northeast Alabama is better prepared in the event of an incident involving the more than 2,200 tons of nerve and blister agent now stored on the depot’s grounds. The senator believes, correctly, that emergency preparedness is of vital interest now, in case of an accident at the storage sight, as well as a concern once the planned incineration of the weapons begins.
To that end, Sen. Shelby was no doubt pleased to hear that one of the longstanding issues in the incineration debate was resolved last week when the Army agreed to take on the responsibility of activating directly the alert and notification system for those who live and work closest to the incinerator.
The Army’s agreeing to take over this immediate notification for those living in “the pink zone” could save as much as eight minutes in case of an accident, and is a welcome sign of cooperation between the Army and the Calhoun County Commission.
Another encouraging sign regarding the incineration project was the county’s awarding of a $14 million contract for protective devices, including hoods, air filters and shelter-in-place kits, to Centech, Inc. Distribution of those devices could begin early next month.
More discouraging, however, was a report in The Star on Wednesday in which it was clear that opponents of incineration continue to push Sen. Shelby to conduct a study of possible alternative demilitarization technologies.
The senator said that he was “not prepared” to ask the Army to study switching from incineration to another method, such as neutralization, to destroy the weapons. In spite of a federal lawsuit filed last week in Washington D.C. that attempts to halt all incineration projects for the nation’s chemical weapons stockpile, Sen. Shelby indicated that his priorities right now are in the right place — that is, making sure the community is allowed maximum protection in case of an incident involving the stockpile.
We have been down this road regarding disposal method too many times to count. Once again, let’s re-emphasize that incineration is the only fully proven method that is scientifically sound. The esteemed National Research Council has come to this conclusion again and again.
Perhaps, before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, an alternative technology might have been worth considering. But if anything, the state of the world in which we now live dictates that we move ahead with the one reliable method available.
The Anniston stockpile is aging and corroding as we speak. The weapons are a risk now. In fact, according to the NRC, that risk will only begin to diminish once incineration is under way and the more dangerous weapons begin to be destroyed.
It is worth reminding Sen. Shelby and those who would pressure him to further delay the incineration process — through lawsuits and other means — that time is of the essence here. The time it would take for any sort of retrofitting of the incinerator or the time it would take to perfect a new technology is time that this community just does not have.
