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U.S. Army Officials Consider Separating Rockets from Chemical Warheads Before Destruction
Officials at the U.S. Army’s Blue Grass Chemical Depot in Kentucky are considering separating aging rockets suspected of causing fires at other facilities from chemical warheads before the weapons are destroyed, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Tuesday (see GSN, June 30). Several fires have ignited in recent months while weapons were being destroyed at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Oregon and Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Arkansas (see GSN, July 18). Officials at Blue Grass, which does not yet have a disposal facility, want to study the rocket fuel to avoid trouble. “If it is deteriorating, we want to know that sooner than later,” said Blue Grass Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program project manager Jim Fritche. “If we don't have an emergency, we're not going to go forward on this.” However, Chemical Weapons Working Group Director Craig Williams is concerned that separating warheads from the rockets would increase costs and delay plans to destroy all chemical weapons at the facility. Others have expressed lukewarm support for separating the chemical weapons. “It certainly would reduce the storage risk,” said Doug Hindman, chairman of the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission. “The question is, how do you do it? ... As they say, ‘The devil is in the details’” (James Carroll, Louisville Courier-Journal, July 19). The project would involve slicing in half 69,500 M55 rockets filled with sarin, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. After hearing the details of the proposal, Hindman called the plan “pretty darned scary.” “I'm concerned about the speed with which the decision-makers may be moving on this … without really understanding what caused the fires,” said local activist Peter Hille. The Herald-Leader reported yesterday that one theory about the cause of the fires is shifting of nitroglycerin to the portion of the rocket where propellant is stored. The chemical was sparked when cutting equipment sliced the rocket. The advisory commission wants the Army to assume the propellant contains nitroglycerin and plan accordingly. Other concerns include transportation of the rockets to the building where separation would occur. The Herald-Leader described the proposed building as being constructed of fabric, aluminum ribs and a concrete slab. Williams of the Chemical Weapons Working Group said the advisory board should not make a recommendation until more details of the plan are known. The panel wants to work closely with the Army as the proposal develops (Peter Matthews, Lexington Herald-Leader, July 20). Meanwhile, the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet on Tuesday approved a permit for Blue Grass to build a neutralization facility to destroy weapons containing sarin, the Richmond Register reported. The permit may be extended to VX and mustard gas if sarin disposal goes well, according to the Register. “This is an unusual permit that we asked for,” said Blue Grass spokesman David Easter. “If this permit is successful, then the permit can be expanded as a regular permit.” The Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet has made construction of the facility a top priority because of concerns over the long-term storage of chemical weapons at Blue Grass (Ronica Brandenburg, Richmond Register, July 20). Also this week, a mustard gas leak was detected in a storage igloo at Blue Grass, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader (Peter Matthews, Lexington Herald-Leader, July 20).
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