8 months ago
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It's serious work they do at the arsenal, so serious it requires a permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. That permit is expiring and the arsenal is applying for a renewal.
Monday's meeting was the public chance to voice concerns about what the arsenal does.
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality or ADEQ's Ryan Benefield ran through a power point presentation, briefing the crowd on what exactly goes on at the arsenal. ADEQ monitors how the facility, which is run by the army, is destroying chemical weapons. Those weapons contain chemicals like VX gas and mustard agent. A drop of which could be deadly in minutes.
Benefield says, "They have a few more years of chemical destruction then they'll go through a closure process that will take some time."
The arsenal's ten year permit is up for renewal so to continue its mission the ADEQ must grant a new one.
Benefield says, "That's just written into the regulation that every ten years we just take a look at it to see if any regulations have changed if any of the facilities have changed and gives us a chance to reissue it gives the public a chance to reevaluate the facility."
ADEQ workers set up a special table to take public comment Monday night. They even brought a tape recorder. The only problem is no one showed up to comment; but some see that as a good thing.
Especially Stu Soffer, with the Governor's arsenal citizen advisory committee.
Soffer says, "The public and this community has confidence in the army and this contractor. They're honest. They do a great job. No one is getting away with anything. Everything is up on top of the table and I think the fact that no one showed up tonight (Monday) shows that."
The arsenal has until 2012 to finish destroying its remaining barrels of mustard agent. Mark Greer with the arsenal says they may end ahead of schedule; it might be before the end of 2010.
Roughly 1,000 jobs will be affected when the arsenal is done destroying the chemical weapons. The army is working to place those workers at other arsenal facilities across the country.
