Yes! There are Alternatives to Incineration

We recognize that these lethal weapons must be properly disposed. The issue is not about stopping chemcial weapons disposal ! The issue is about insuring that the people of Oregon are given a scientifically sound process that provides the safest and most protective method to dispose of these very dangerous chemicals.

Regarding, the Umatilla Army Depot, the U.S. Army failed to consider the safest disposal technologies. When the decision was made to use incineration to dispose of the chemical weapons stored at Umatilla, the U.S. Army and the State of Oregon ignored plentiful information on alternative technologies such as neutralization.

In response to the concerns of many Americans about the safety of incinerating chemical weapons, the Congress and President Clinton established and later expanded the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) Program (Public Laws 104-208, 105-261, and 106-371). Through ACWA, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) was charged with identifying and demonstrating two or more alternative technologies to incineration. (ACWA website- www.pmacwa.org)

The purpose of the ACWA program was to demonstrate non-incineration, alternative technologies and to review and discuss criteria for evaluating technologies. The State of Oregon and the U.S. Army approved plans for incineration while ignoring the information on alternative technologies made available by the ACWA program.

In the last few years, examples of chemical weapons programs in other states, such as the Johnston Athol and Tooele, UT sites, overwhelming demonstrate that incineration is an outdated, inferior technology for dealing with hazardous chemicals of warfare.

The states of Kentucky and Colorado are successfully substituting a process called neutralization, a much safer method for both humans and the environment than incineration.

For example, there are significant advantages to using neutralization to dispose of chemical weapons. Neutralization is able to

• Treat the chemical agents and other materials at a low temperature and low pressure;
• Eliminate toxic air emissions (e.g., dioxins);
• Increase the capability to manage by-products responsibly;
• Reduce water consumption by a factor of twelve, and
• Increase recycling capabilities.