The Army is burning down some old ammunition plants around the Midwest. More than 60 environmental groups in the region say what happens to a former plant in Wisconsin could set a national precedent for dealing with sites heavily contaminated with PCBs. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:
Transcript
The Army is burning down some old ammunition plants around the Midwest. More than 60
environmental groups in the region say what happens to a former plant in Wisconsin could set a
national precedent for dealing with sites heavily contaminated with PCBs. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:
The army wants to burn at least one of the abandoned buildings at the former Badger
Ammunition plant near Baraboo, Wisconsin. But paint on some pipes in the building is so
contaminated with PCB’s that the army needs special permission from the EPA to start the fire.
Many environmental groups and citizens are urging the EPA to reject the army’s plan.
Laura Olah is a local community activist. She says the case is important beyond Wisconsin.
“Because the military has a presence in almost every state in the country, this is a serious
dangerous precedent.”
Olah says officials at an ammunition plant in Ohio are particularly interested in what happens in
Wisconsin.
The Army says it’s safer for demolition workers to burn the old building from a distance, as
opposed to cutting apart pipes contaminated with explosive residue.
The EPA says it’s reviewing the case and will respond soon.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Chuck Quirmbach.