An advocacy group hopes to see senior officials ousted at a U.S. Army chemical weapons storage facility in Kentucky following an improper relocation of equipment used for detecting potentially dangerous leaks of VX nerve agent, Defense Environment Alert reported yesterday (see GSN, July 21).
The group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility represented a former Blue Grass Army Depot employee who alleged he lost his security clearance for calling attention to the practice. One source with the organization accused depot leaders of fostering a culture of retaliation and demonstrating poor technical understanding of chemical weapons stockpile maintenance.
The PEER source faulted a recently disclosed Army inspector general report that backs some of former chemical weapons monitor Donald Van Winkle's claims while playing down the safety implications of monitoring practices at the installation.
The depot has taken the necessary steps to resolve problems noted in the IG report, said a spokesman for the Army Chemical Materials Agency, which oversees the depot. The environmental group was incorrect in attacking Blue Grass administrators, the spokesman added (Defense Environment Alert, July 21).