Even if the army's incinerators work flawlessly, the chemical weapons destruction program will have a rough road ahead. Congress has mandated that the weapons be destroyed by 2004, a date that may prove unrealistic. The weapons can't be destroyed until the plants are built. The plants won't be built until the army clears all of the requirements involved in federal and local permitting processes that are, to say the least, bogged down. The army needs to start working more intelligently with the public.
Few citizens know the difference between advocacy science and peer-reviewed science.
The army has an obligation to point out when information being circulated about its program is false or distorted. Just as important, the foundering Citizens Advisory Commissions are in desperate need of a makeover. The commissions might be expanded to 10 to 12 members, rather than the current nine. Half could be appointed by the governors, the other half by local community entities, like the town council or the mayor's office. The governors' appointees should have the appropriate technical backgrounds, while local appointees ought t be willing to take an active oversight role and function as a liaison between the army and the community.