[CPEO-MEF] Arsenal ready to burn arms

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Arkansas
Arsenal ready to burn arms
BY KIM MCGUIRE

WHITE HALL — Construction of the incinerator at the Pine Bluff Arsenal 
is now complete, clearing the way for the elimination of its supply of 
chemical weapons, 12 percent of the nation’s stockpile.

If all goes as planned, the incineration of those weapons will begin in 
April 2004.

About 120 people toured the facility Tuesday during an open house 
commemorating the completion of the $300 million facility. The Pine 
Bluff Arsenal is one of five sites in the nation where the chemical 
weapons will be incinerated to meet the mandates of an international 
accord. "Today, it could be said, is the end of the beginning of the 
very important work that must be done here," said Col. Mark Henscheid, 
commander of the Pine Bluff Arsenal.

By 2010, the Army intends to destroy the arsenal’s aging, World War 
II-era stockpile, which includes 90,231 M55 rockets filled with GB nerve 
agent and 19,582 M55 rockets filled with VX agent.

The United States is supposed to destroy much of its chemical weapon 
reserves by 2007, a deadline set by the International Chemical Weapons 
Convention of 1997.

Army officials, however, expect the deadline will be pushed back to 
2012. With the temporary closure of an incinerator in Tooele, Utah, the 
Army will need the extra time, said Delbert Bunch, deputy program 
manager for the branch of the Army overseeing the chemical 
demilitarization effort. "Right now, we’re on track to hit that deadline 
[2012], but hon- estly it’s not going as fast as I would like," Bunch 
said.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/story_national.php?storyid=15405

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~