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JAY REEVES
Associated Press Writer

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The Bush administration has agreed to the state's request for $5 million to buy gas mask-like hoods for some 35,000 people living near a chemical weapons incinerator the Army plans to begin operating in October.

The decision announced Monday means Anniston, located about 50 miles east of Birmingham, apparently will become the first American city where such gear has been distributed to the general population to guard against chemical agents.

Residents would don the gear in case of an accident at the incinerator. Another $2.1 million is being used to buy protective suits for public safety workers who would have to respond to an accident.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the state should have the money within days. However, officials in Calhoun County, where the incinerator is located, have said it will be difficult to purchase the hoods by this fall, when the Army plans to begin burning chemical agents.

Gov. Don Siegelman has filed suit to block the opening of the facility at the Anniston Army Depot. But his legal adviser, Ted Hosp, said the lawsuit might be dropped now that the money is on its way.

FEMA previously opposed purchasing the hoods because of safety concerns about distributing them to an untrained public.

The agency's regional director, Ken Burris, said FEMA approved the funding because of a plan submitted by Calhoun County that includes classroom sessions and hands-on training for anyone obtaining a hood.

``It's not optional,'' he said.

FEMA said it knows of no other U.S. city where such gear has been distributed to the general population. The incinerator will be used to destroy more than 2,200 tons of Cold War-era chemical agents.

In Washington, about 20,000 similar hoods are being distributed on Capitol Hill in case of a terrorist attack involving chemical weapons or biological agents. Congressional employees are undergoing one-hour training sessions.