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Arkansas Congressional Delegation Not Standing in Way of Pentagon Study of Chemical Weapons Relocation
Lawmakers from Arkansas are withholding judgment on a U.S. Army study that includes consideration of transporting chemical weapons to existing destruction facilities as a strategy for meeting a 2012 deadline to destroy the U.S. stockpile of such munitions, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Jan. 26). With the newly built incinerator at the Pine Bluff Arsenal expected to go online next month, Arkansas could be a possible destination for chemical weapons stockpiled at depots in Kentucky and Colorado. Construction of disposal facilities at those sites could be delayed until 2011 due to budget troubles. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) is waiting for more information before making any decisions about the potential relocation, a spokesman said. “Senator Lincoln has two concerns with all of this,” said spokesman Drew Goesl. “Those are the health of the residents of Pine Bluff and the jobs the Pine Bluff Arsenal supports.” “That’s why she’s waiting for results of this study, to determine what the implications would be and determine if (the shipment option) could even move forward.” Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said last week that if studies determine the materials can be moved safely, such a plan “could be something very good for Pine Bluff.” As the Pine Bluff incinerator was not built to destroy projectiles like those kept in Colorado and Kentucky, it is unlikely to be chosen as a destination if the Defense Department decided to move the weapons, said U.S. Representative Mike Ross (D-Ark.), whose district includes Pine Bluff. Retrofitting the facility to incinerate projectiles would probably cost millions of dollars, he added. “I don’t see any reason to stop the study,” said Ross. “It’s just a study” (Associated Press, Feb. 3).
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