SIERRA ARMY DEPOT BURNS UP NEVADANS

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

SIERRA ARMY DEPOT BURNING IMPACTS NEVADA

In discussions about the strong anti-smoking ordinances passed by many 
California cities, I sometimes joke that Californians should go to 
Nevada if they want to smoke. More seriously, California's enforcement 
of air quality laws at the Sierra Army Depot could shift significant, 
hazardous air pollution to Nevada.

Located in Herlong, California, north of Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Army 
Depot is just a few wiles west and upwind of the Nevada border. A 
little bit further east is Pyramid Lake, home to Paiute Indians and the 
site of a watershed (both meanings) conflict over Native American water 
rights.

The Sierra Army Depot is downsizing significantly, but the Army is 
keeping it open as a primary site for the demilitarization of 
conventional munitions through open burning and open detonation. The 
Depot is also being used for the open burning of solid fuel from old 
Minuteman Missile rockets. In fact, about five years ago the United 
Technology Corporation moved most of its open burning operation to 
Sierra when regulators shut down the burning of old Minuteman rocket 
fuel at its Coyote, California (hills above San Jose) facility. Nevada 
officials objected at the time.

The Army has been carrying out open burning/open detonation at Sierra for 
nearly 15 years under an interim permit. Now, finally the California 
Department of Toxic Substances Control appears to be requiring it to 
seek a hazardous waste permit.

The Reno office of the Rural Alliance for Military Accountability is 
asking that the Army prepare a federal Environmental Impact Statement, 
not just a California Environmental Impact Report, and it is opposing 
continued open burning. 

In addition to raising questions over the the Army's demilitarization 
practices, this case points out the limitation of state regulation when 
the impacts are interstate. The Paiute Indians and Nevadans who breathe 
emissions from the Sierra Army Depot demilitarization operations 
deserve the chance to oversee and even prevent those activities.

Lenny Siegel