The Army plans to double its biological and chemical weapons defense testing over the next seven years at the remote and secretive base in Tooele County. It also apparently is seeking to add to the size of the base by acquiring adjacent federal lands.
It is natural that in the wake of terrorist attacks against the United States, and reports that enemies of our nation may be trying to acquire chemical or biological weapons, the Army is stepping up research and training on countermeasures.
Trouble is, public information about these activities is scarce. While it is understandable that the Army does not wish to advertise exactly what biological and chemical agents or countermeasures it is testing at Dugway, the Utah government has a duty to protect public health and safety.
The state used to have a Federal Research Committee that kept an eye on federal facilities, including Dugway. Born during the battle over proposed MX Missile basing in western Utah during the Carter administration, that committee lapsed in the 1990s. Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, believes it is time to resuscitate it. We agree.
Last year, Davis sponsored a bill in the Legislature to do just that. It received a favorable recommendation in committee but was voted down on the Senate floor. Davis will re-introduce the same bill this month.
One opponent, Sen. Thomas Hatch, R-Panguitch, argued last year that the state already has multiple oversight agencies and that a new committee, representing another layer of bureaucracy, was not needed.
But longtime citizen advocate Steve Erickson says he has tried to obtain information about the Army's expanded plans from three different state agencies and discovered that they have little.
The committee that Davis proposes could coordinate information and might have the clout to pry more out of the Army. It would include four members of the Legislature, the heads of six state agencies (or their representatives), including the Health and Environmental Quality departments, and three public members.
The Army has to protect secrets that, if revealed, could endanger national security. But secrecy also can undermine public safety by covering up sloppy work, and the Army should not get a pass on its plans. Rather, it should be made to explain its objectives and how it proposes to achieve them. Scrutiny almost always produces better ideas.
And verification enhances trust.
