Oregon officials lift CSEPP meeting moratorium

This story was published Sat, Feb 26, 2000

By Terry Hudson
Herald Oregon bureau

Umatilla and Morrow county officials have agreed to lift a moratorium on participating in meetings involving the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

The decision came after meeting with state and federal officials Thursday night at which the officials agreed to look at changing how the program is run.

CSEPP is the federally funded program to prepare the area surrounding the Umatilla Army Depot for a possible accidental release of the deadly nerve agents stored at the depot. The Army is building an incinerator there now to destroy the nerve agents.

The two counties' commissioners had imposed a moratorium on participating in CSEPP meetings on Jan. 6, a week after some emergency sirens inadvertently were activated.

That incident, which frightened some people who thought an accident had occurred, highlighted concerns about CSEPP and its alert and notification system.

Russ Salter and Denzel Fisher, two senior Federal Emergency Management Agency officials from Washington, D.C., organized Thursday's meeting in Pasco.

Also present was Beverlee Benell, acting bureau commander for the intergovernmental services bureau of the Oregon State Police.

"Based on the assurances we received Thursday night and our belief that the state and federal governments believe we are serious about getting this program back on track, we approved lifting the moratorium," said Morrow County Commissioner Dan Brosnan.

"They need to know, however, that we are serious about assuring protection for our citizens and that we will take whatever steps are necessary to assure that the full CSEPP program is in place and effective."

Morrow County Commissioner Terry Tallman said an agreement to form a new management model for CSEPP is at the heart of the decision.

The counties have pushed for a project manager position that would be accountable to the counties.

They have been continually frustrated with the fact there are so many federal, state and county officials involved with CSEPP - but seemingly no one with ultimate responsibility.

Tallman said the management model probably would include some kind of board that would include the commissioners, the depot commander and representatives from Oregon Emergency Management, FEMA and area emergency workers.

"Then we would have a project manager and maybe a technical person he can rely on, and give him the responsibility to make it all work," Tallman said.

Chris Brown, the area's CSEPP coordinator for Oregon Emergency Management, was pleased to hear the moratorium had been lifted.

"I understand the basis for instituting the moratorium, but I'm relieved it's over with," Brown said.

"The process has been made particularly difficult because we're less than a year out from getting the governor's signature on the incineration process. I'm looking forward to getting all members of the team back on board because we have some challenging issues ahead."

Tallman said Thursday's meeting continued until midnight, when the counties were asked when they expected to lift the moratorium.

"As two counties, we caucused," he said. "In light of what we've agreed to, we thought lifting the moratorium was the thing to do. The safety of the citizens of the two counties comes first. And we need some accountability in the system so we can move this thing forward without creating animosities."

Meanwhile, FEMA is doing an independent evaluation of the technical side of the alert and notification system and the state is contracting for an impartial evaluation of the planning and managerial side. Both evaluations came at the request of the counties.

 

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