Photo by Kansas City Star, Dec. 17, 2015, closed production lines and storage sites at Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, De Soto, Kansas
The Sierra Club strongly supports community involvement on projects that pose risks to near neighbors and are funded by tax dollars. We reported in the August Waypoints that the U.S. Army could form a new Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) to receive community input on the final remediation efforts at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. Now the Army has decided not to create a RAB, because not enough community members volunteered. Kansas Chapter Chair Elaine Giessel wrote to the Program Manager of the former Sunflower facility criticizing the decision.
The Army will not consider creation of a RAB again for two years. Cleanup updates are anticipated about three times a year. Information about the remediation process is available online.