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October 31, 2011
October 27, 2011- Accompanied by US Ambassador Martha Campbell and RMI EPA General Manager Deborah Barker-Manase, a delegation from the US Air Force Global Strike Command, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command delivered an environmental briefing to President Jurelang Zedkaia and members of Cabinet regarding prospective Minuteman III (MM III) flight tests. Talks included MM III program and objectives, recovery and environmental cleanup, and a new environmental documentation that supplements the 2004 MM III Modification Environmental Assessment with the expectation of renewing the 2005 MM III Document of Environmental Protection that follow USAKA Environmental Standards (UES).
Captain Chris Terry and Ms. Wendy Doke of Air Force Global Strike Command offered overviews on MM III operational flight testing and MM III flight safety in which safety to population and property were assured as priorities in planning all MM III missions. There are plans on performing 4 MM III flight tests a year with one target area in the vicinity of Illeginni and 3 at Kwajalein Missile Impact Scoring System.
Out of 673 reentry vehicles (RV’s) targeted for USAKA/RTS from Peacekeeper/MM III flight tests conducted between1983-2010, 33 (5%) impacted Illeginni, including shallow water and ocean reef flats. The remainder 95% of RV’s impacted in deep ocean East and North outside Illeginni.
Dr. William Robison, a senior staff scientist from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory gave a summary on the impact of Peacekeeper/MM III RV materials on the Illeginni environment and health based on monitoring reports from 2005 and 2010. Subsequent to Peacekeeper/MM III flight tests, small concentration levels of depleted Beryllium (BE) and Uranium (U) were presented in soil and air at Illeginni. Concentration levels of U and Be “in air down wind of the deposition area are lower by a factor of at least 10,000 than the most restrictive US federal guideline” and concentrations of U in the air at Illeginni “are less by a factor of 10 to 100 than U concentrations in air in the US measured by EPA,” said Dr. Robison. Monitoring reports “indicate no health or environmental related impacts resulting from Peacekeeper/MM lll program at Illeginni,” he went on to explain. Dr. Robison was responding to President Zedkaia’s concern on levels of BE and U and safety levels.
Tom Craven of US Army Space and Missile Defense Command presented the status of the Minuteman III Modification. 82 coral species are listed as candidate species under Endangered Species Act (ESA). A MM III Modification biological assessment supports consultations from ESA. The anticipated Supplemental Assessment for Minuteman III Modification (2012) reevaluates pre-test preparations at Illeginni, impacts on land or water from RV’s, and post-test cleanup on recovery operations. Analysis includes “public safety, air quality, noise and sonic booms, effects on important wildlife such as corals and sea turtles, potential contaminants (beryllium, uranium, other heavy metals, and asbestos), effects on historical resources, and application of the latest UES standards, mitigation measures, and monitoring,” briefing materials stated.
An open invitation was extended to the President and Cabinet to visit Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, which sends off the MM III to further understand the process.
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