Alabama depot's lack of readiness raises questions

This story was published Thu, Sep 26, 2002

By Karen Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

UMATILLA -- Despite the Army pumping $100 million into an emergency preparedness program at a major chemical weapons depot in Anniston, Ala., it's still not ready for disaster.

And Army officials have been plotting by e-mail about how to blame nearby communities for 12 years of preparedness efforts, which even some top Army brass admit have failed.

The e-mail exchanges obtained by the Herald are raising questions in the Mid-Columbia as the Umatilla Chemical Depot counts down to begin incineration of deadly nerve agents stored 30 miles south of the Tri-Cities next year.

"Clearly the Army's priority is image over safety," said Craig Williams, spokesman for the Chemical Weapons Working Group, an anti-incineration coalition based in Kentucky. "This situation is only one example of the depths of deceitfulness officials in the program will sink to to facilitate their agendas."

Anniston stores 7 percent of the nation's stockpile of deadly chemical agents. Umatilla stores nearly twice as much VX, GB and mustard agent as Anniston.

Burning of the nerve agents in Alabama was to begin in October and in Oregon next May, but safety and regulatory concerns continue to plague both sites.

Nowhere are those issues more evident than in a series of e-mails exchanged in August and September by Pentagon official Larry Skelly and Russell Shearer, among others. Shearer is principal deputy to Mario Fiori, an assistant secretary of the Army and director of the chemical demilitarization program.

Skelly's e-mails detailed a plan to invite city, state and county officials in Alabama to participate in a series of emergency drills beginning next month.

If the community refused, as expected, then the Army would issue several news releases blaming the community's lack of preparedness on local leaders, Skelly proposed.

"The intent is to not 'tell' the state but to 'invite' them to participate," Skelly said in an
e-mail. "Dr. Fiori believes it is essential to improving the Army's image that we show initiative and leadership."

Skelly told Fiori that he "thought it highly unlikely" the state or Calhoun County would participate.

"When either the state or Calhoun County say 'no,' (Fiori) wants a series of press releases directed at their 'no' telling the public that (it) is their agencies, not the Army, that is unwilling to help improve emergency preparedness at the Anniston site," Skelly continued.

Skelly also said the Army's aggressive approach should continue until the Anniston community declares itself adequately prepared for an emergency -- even though that clearly is not the case.

"It is imperative that we begin building public trust and confidence in the Anniston region emergency response system that the Army ... has pumped $100 million into the last 12 years," Skelly said.

By comparison, the Army has spent $70 million in emergency preparedness at Umatilla since 1989.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Rudy Burwell said although the e-mails were exchanged by high-ranking Army officials, they don't represent the position of Army leadership.

"The suggested motivations and tactics detailed in the ... e-mails do not accurately reflect the intent of the leadership of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installation and Environment," Burwell said.

Mike Abrams, Army spokesman for the Anniston site, said: "I don't have anything to say about what motivated Mr. Skelly or Dr. Fiori. I'm flat out of ideas."

Calhoun County Commissioner Eli Henderson said the Army tactics are nothing new. "The blame game has been part of their overall plan for years," he said in a telephone interview.

Henderson said the $100 million Skelly refers to hasn't gone toward purchasing much-needed equipment for Calhoun County's emergency crews. Instead, Henderson said, the Army has used part of that money for its own purposes, such as upgrading depot computers.

"We have 116,000 people living in a 10-mile radius of our depot and we don't even have a (hazardous materials) vehicle for our main fire station or protective gear for our first responders," Henderson said. "The Army makes all these promises they never keep."

In a Wednesday letter to U.S. Rep. Bob Riley, R-Ala., Calhoun County commissioners said, "The issues at Anniston facility appear to be part of a much larger problem, which is program-wide."

Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman had a stronger reaction. He called for Skelly's resignation last week. Skelly, who remains in his position, is out of the office this week and was not available for comment.

But that isn't the end of the fallout for the Army.

A high-ranking official with the Soldiers Biological and Chemical Compound derided Fiori's plan in an e-mail dated Aug. 28. The compound is responsible for storage of the nation's stockpile and for coordinating emergency response with surrounding communities.

"Once again the organization charged with the management and execution of CSEPP are being told how and when to suck eggs!" wrote Lt. Col. Paula Lantzer.

Reaction to the Army's publicity scheme was more muted in Oregon, where community officials remain convinced they are building a solid disaster response plan.

Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty, for instance, said he'd hate for Skelly to lose his job over the public debacle because Skelly has been the "go-to man" between the Army and Umatilla emergency planners.

Hermiston Fire Chief Jim Stearns was not aware of the developments at Alabama's depot site. But he said the Army's approach of "shifting the blame doesn't add to anyone's comfort level" when dealing with Army officials.

Stearns said Alabama officials have spent more money on emergency planning than any of the other incineration sites around the country. However, he said he's confident Oregon's emergency planners are as well-prepared as any.

Wayne Thomas, depot program administrator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said problems in Alabama underscore the need for Oregon to remain diligent.

"We want to make sure the public is being protected," he said. "We are going to hold the Army's feet to the fire."

 

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