Activists Question Army CW Disposal Plan at Umatilla

Environmentalists have taken issue with the U.S. Army’s decision to begin burning a new chemical agent at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Oregon without first replacing the filters in the incinerator’s smoke stack., Defense Environment Alert reported yesterday (see GSN, July 10).

The plant last week completed disposal of weapons containing the nerve agent sarin, and is scheduled to begin eliminating VX nerve agent weapons following a changeover period.

The Oregon Environmental Quality Department last month voided a permit requirement that the Army after finishing off the sarin replace carbon filters intended to catch any weapons agent that was not fully incinerated.  One agency official said there is no risk in not changing the filters because sensors in the smoke stacks have never detected any chemical agent entering the atmosphere through the stacks.

The environmental advocacy organization Group Against Smog and Pollution said it is “very concerned about the potential impacts that could result if the carbon filters are not replaced between different agent campaigns.  What will result from mixing [sarin], VX, heavy metals, dioxins, furans … and then collecting them in the PFS carbon?”

Morrow County, the county next to Umatilla County, said in a filed comment that it “does not agree with the proposed changes in the (Army’s disposal permit).  There appears to be a lack of supporting information that ensures the carbon absorption in the units will not be adversely affected by these changes.”

Another Army plan to incinerate mustard agent mixed with mercury at Tooele, Utah, has come under fire from the Chemical Weapons Working Group.  The watchdog group has called for an environmental impact statement on the project under the National Environmental Policy Act (Defense Environment Alert, July 10).

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