Chemical depot, woes fail to faze Arkansans

WHITE HALL, Ark. -- There aren't many cries of "Not in My Back Yard" in the neighborhoods around Pine Bluff Arsenal, despite four unexplained fires at the Army depot where 12 percent of the nation's chemical weapons are being destroyed.

Sixty years of handling weapons safely, plus the hundreds of jobs it provides, make the arsenal a welcome neighbor, residents say. Even when the sirens wail, many go about their business, regardless of whether there's an emergency or just another drill.

"I know they've had a few fires, but they contained them well. I deal with a lot of employees there and they said there was nothing to worry about, and I trust them," said Bobby Young, owner of Bobby's Auto Repair shop a few blocks from the arsenal's gate.

The community's confidence in Pine Bluff, about 40 miles south of Little Rock, stands in stark contrast to the mood in towns near other depots across the country.

A depot in Umatilla, Ore., contains nearly the same types and numbers of weapons and has had three similar fires, but protests have hounded the facility. This month, workers complained about the instability of the 1960s-era weapons they're handling.

"Our guys are working to the extent of their training, but there's still a lot of learning going on and it's important to share all the information we learn," said Rodney Osgood, a former union steward at the depot.

No such concerns ever found a voice at Pine Bluff, even though arsenal commander Col. Tom Woloszyn can't explain four recent fires in separate areas of the complex.

The arsenal has had to stop processing chemical weapons several times, once for a minor hose leak and twice after small fires in May. And in June, a large fire destroyed a white phosphorus warehouse, then flared up a few days later.

The arsenal also took some heat for a weeklong delay in notifying the media the first time a rocket laced with sarin nerve agent caught fire on the assembly line.

But Young summed up the community's confidence: "Everybody's human, and they're bound to have problems with everything, but I have no doubt they have the knowledge to deal with it."

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