[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2784-H2785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 FORT McCLELLAN AND ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Browder] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWDER. Madam Speaker, a few nights ago I spoke on this floor, 
and I said that the Secretary of Defense's recommendation to close Fort 
McClellan, AL, was a mistake with significant and dangerous 
consequences. To be specific tonight, Madam Speaker, I would like to 
talk about the mistake of this recommendation that breaks faith with 
hundreds of thousands of civilians in Alabama who live around a 
dangerous chemical stockpile which is slated to be destroyed by the 
United States as part of an agreement with Russia.
  Let me tell my colleagues something about this stockpile. This 
chemical stockpile stored in this same community with Fort McClellan, 
has poisons such as sarin and VX. A small drop of sarin on a man's skin 
can be fatal. VX is several times more lethal than sarin, and a small 
drop of the liquid evenly distributed can kill many people. Among the 
weapons stored at the Anniston Army Depot, each M-23 land mine contains 
10\1/2\ pounds of VX. Each 155 millimeter artillery projectile can hold 
either 6 pounds of VX or 6\1/2\ pounds of sarin. Each of the 78,000 M55 
115-millimeter rockets; that is 78,000 of those, contains either 10 
pounds of VX or 10.7 pounds of sarin. That is a pretty dangerous 
mixture.
  That is why one newspaper had this headline, Madam Speaker, that 
said, ``Army, An Army Study Leaking Nerve Rockets, Could Explode on 
Their Own.'' That is why another newspaper headline said, ``Living with 
Chemical Weapons. Best Hope If There's an Accident: Run for Your 
Life.''
  The Army knew this in 1990 when it filed a permit request with the 
Alabama Department of Environmental Management called Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste permit application for 
the Department of the Army, Anniston Army Depot chemical stockpile 
disposal system. This is in 1990. This is all of the contingency plans 
they have if there is an accident in this place.
  Fort McClellan chemical response plan says,

       [[Page H2785]] This plan establishes a required 
     organization, responsibilities and procedures in the event of 
     an accident or incident at Anniston Army Depot. The purpose 
     of this plan is to establish procedures and actions to be 
     employed by Fort McClellan reaction teams in support of a 
     chemical accident or incident occurring on the Anniston Army 
     Depot and which is or will become a potential hazard to the 
     depot and surrounding community.

  Madam Speaker, several hundred thousand people are in that 
surrounding community of Anniston Army Depot, and Fort McClellan's 
resources have been committed by that permit request in case we have a 
problem there.
  I had a meeting last year, almost a year ago, with Deputy Secretary 
of Defense John Deutsch. I would like to read a letter he wrote to me 
in August. He said:

       Dear Mr. Browder: In our meeting on June 16, 1994, you and 
     I discussed Department of Defense policy and intentions on 
     several matters related to the Chemical Demilitarization 
     Project scheduled for Anniston Army Depot. You requested that 
     I provide assurances on these matters, and I am pleased to 
     respond to this request. As you know, the Department is eager 
     to conduct its business in a manner that is open and meets 
     community concerns to the maximum extent possible. The 
     ``safeguard'' assurances you request serve this purpose and 
     therefore deserve the positive responses provided below.
       Please rest assured that we share your concern for safe and 
     environmentally sound destruction of chemical weapons at 
     Anniston. Specifically . . .

  Madam Speaker, under the heading of Fort McClellan Support Resources:

       By separate correspondence I'm asking the Secretary of the 
     Army to work closely with Alabama
      Department of Environmental Management to respond to the 
     State requirement and to be fully responsible to their 
     concerns.

  He closed:

       I assure you that the Department of Defense will continue 
     to insure that the destruction of our chemical weapons 
     stockpile is accomplished in full cognizance of the ongoing 
     need to protect our people and our environment.

  Then the Undersecretary of Defense that same month issued its 
memorandum for the Secretary of the Army. Subject: Chemical Weapons 
Demilitarization Facility at Anniston Army Depot:

       Efforts are ongoing to ensure the successful start of 
     chemical weapons demilitarization operations at Anniston Army 
     Depot. In order to gain the requisite support for these 
     operations, we must ensure the application of certain 
     safeguards which will satisfy local concerns and enhance the 
     safety of the demilitarization process.

  Madam Speaker, this lists all the requirements, the decontamination 
team, the medical assistance team, says we need to be fully responsive 
to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and we must 
commit appropriate military resources such as the following which have 
been identified at the current location to support the demilitarization 
effort.
  Madam Speaker, for 40 years the Army has dumped these dangerous 
chemicals on Alabama. They pledged Fort McClellan as our rescue squad. 
Now they want to close down the rescue squad and strike a match to that 
pile of dangerous chemicals. I will not allow that to happen. I will do 
everything I can to stop that from happening unless this dangerous 
mistake is reversed.


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