Company hopes to speed up burning at depot

This story was published Thu, Nov 6, 2003

By Kathleen Gilstrap
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Change the point where emissions from incineration are measured, and the task of destroying chemical weapons at the Umatilla Chemical Depot will get done faster.

At least that's what Rick Kelley says.

Kelley, spokesman for the Washington Demilitarization Co., which is handling the destruction of the agents, said a pending permit modification to allow the company to measure for gases and particulants after - instead of before - emissions from the incinerator have passed through a carbon filtration system means 30 to 40 rockets can be processed per hour instead of two to four.

"Our mission is to destroy these weapons as quickly as possible, and that's what the community wants," Kelley said. "If we have to tack on more years, the community would be upset."

But members of GASP, a local group opposed to incineration of the chemicals, said that rate of destruction never has been reachable.

GASP members maintain there are more efficient and safer ways to destroy the weapons and gases than incineration.

The depot, 35 miles south of the Tri-Cities, stores 220,604 munitions and containers filled with 7.4 million pounds of deadly nerve and mustard agents that are to be destroyed under international treaty, possibly beginning early next summer.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comment on the permit modification application through Nov. 17.

Sue Oliver, spokeswoman for the DEQ, said it is true that her agency and the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission believed the depot could meet emission standards without the carbon filtration system, but the calculations were based on other sites where chemical weapons are stored.

Oliver said Washington Demilitarization is not trying to change federal and state regulated emission standards, just where they are measured.

"It's not that they can't meet emission levels, but they can't meet them at that feed rate," Oliver said.

Oliver said the carbon filtration system would be online whether or not the permit modification is granted. Oliver also said this is the first time a carbon filtration system has been used at a U.S. incineration site.

She said the Department of Environmental Quality will make a tentative decision on the permit change 30 to 45 days after the comment period closes Nov. 17. After that, the public will have 45 days to comment on the decision.

Ultimately, she said, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission will decide whether to grant the permit modification, possibly next spring.

"Whether it is approved or denied, it (the carbon filtration system) will be online and operating," Oliver said.

 

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