Page 12 of the PAERAB's Winter 2010 TAPP Contractor Newsletter

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Text Box: public hearing on August 6, 2009 to continue open air burning at the Arsenal despite the expectation that the incinerator would finally be issued all of its required permits. Duly noticed beforehand in accordance with statutory requirements an official public hearing was organized and supervised by army officials with Mr. Peter Rowland and Lt Col. John P. Stack (expected to soon be Col. Stack) its principal speakers. This hearing was attended by members of the public, by most of the PAERAB’s membership, by numerous local elected officials such as Rockaway Twp. Mayor Lou Sceusi and by the local news media. Several times during this meeting army officials such as Lt. Col. Stack expressed a seemingly unequivocal willingness to investigate alternative technologies that could be used to either replace the current incinerator or to supplement its use so that open air burning at Picatinny Arsenal may cease. The public appeared to be encouraged by these expressions of willingness to consider alternative means of disposal including possibly acquiring a second, but different, type of disposal device.

Text Box: U.S. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, in whose district the Arsenal is situated, has also expressed interest in resolving this particular issue. The following statement of support for the goal of ending open air burning at Picatinny Arsenal was attributed to Rep. Frelinghuysen in a July 19, 2009 Daily Record newspaper article authored by Mr. Abbott Koloff: ‘Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, issued a statement Friday, saying he has "long supported construction of a new incinerator at the Arsenal to help to eliminate its open burning practices." He said he would work with Picatinny's leadership to address community concerns. ’ Cong. Frelinghuysen has throughout the years demonstrated a determination to support the Arsenal’s national security mission and its many activities. During his tenure in congress Picatinny Arsenal has experienced an expansion of assignments and personnel with an attendant increase in construction of new base facilities and even residences. In furtherance of that expansion and construction the Arsenal’s environmental remediation effort serves to not only protect

Text Box: the environment but to also help secure the health and welfare of the Arsenal’s employees, its residents and its neighboring communities whilst simultaneously enabling the Arsenal to more efficiently and effectively use both its grounds and physical infrastructure to achieve vital national security objectives. The PAERAB which includes in its ranks representatives of all of the Arsenal’s neighboring communities is very appreciative of the vigilance and the assistance of both Sen. Lautenberg and Rep. Frelinghuysen. Additional correspondence from Senator Lautenberg and Congressman Frelinghuysen regarding the Arsenal’s environmental restoration effort is available to the public for perusal on the board’s own website: www.paerab.us .

OFFICIALS AID SEARCH for TECH ALTERNATIVE to OPEN BURNING (cont’d from p. 11)

Open Burning to Continue….Explosives Waste Stream Defies Technology

EXPLOSIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGY by Michael Glaab

Text Box: This past summer local newspapers covered Picatinny Arsenal’s request to continue open burning of select waste even after the long-delayed incinerator has become operational. In his July 19, 2009 newspaper article Mr. Abbott Koloff of the Daily Record provided the following clarification: ‘The June 25 letter from garrison commander Lt. Col. John P. Stack said that the Army's original intent was to eliminate open burns. "Picatinny will continue to seek new technologies to reduce the need for open burning," he wrote in the letter.’ On August 17, 2009 Mr. Koloff reported that “The incinerator will burn 80 percent of

Text Box: the 25,000 pounds of various plastic and liquid explosive material the arsenal destroys every year.” According to Mr. Koloff, because the incinerator grinds and mixes hazardous waste with water before incinerating it the reactivity of certain explosives in the waste to water is a problem. In the same article Mr. Koloff reported that the Arsenal is investigating the use of a static detonation chamber that is purported to be capable of disposing of “all but a handful of explosives.” In preparation for the army's August 6, 2009 public hearing regarding its proposal to continue open air burning in conjunction with regular use of the Arsenal’s incinerator information notices and briefing documents were distributed to PAERAB members, local elected public

Text Box: officials and the news media. The two PAERAB Co-chmn. (Mr. Glaab - Community, Mr. Ted Gabel - DoD) circulated documents to RAB members in the late summer. In addition, Mr. Peter Rowland of Public/External Affairs and Mr. Gabel arranged a briefing of PAERAB members by base officials during the board’s July 25, 2009 public meeting.