PUeblo Awaits Decision on Detonating Chemical Munitions
Thursday, July 1, 2010

The U.S. Defense Department could decide this month whether to move ahead with a plan to use detonation technology to destroy up to 125,000 mustard-agent weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, the Pueblo Chieftain reported today (see GSN, April 28).

The idea has been floated as a strategy for bridging the anticipated two-year gap between the conclusion of current U.S. chemical-weapon disposal efforts around 2012 and the initiation of full-scale demilitarization operations at Pueblo.

“I would hope that we’ll have a decision regarding that approach sometime in July," said Kevin Flamm, manager of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, the Pentagon office managing chemical weapons disposal efforts at Pueblo and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. However, it remains to be seen when a decision on the matter will be made, he added.

Use of portable detonation chambers is one idea under consideration as the Defense Department considers strategies for expediting destruction of Pueblo's stockpile of 780,000 shells filled with roughly 2,600 tons of blister agent. The technology could also be employed at Blue Grass, which is expected to be the last U.S. weapons depot to begin eliminating chemical munitions.

The Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission has been skeptical of the plan, as has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Flamm said EPA and Defense Department representatives intend to discuss the environmental agency's concerns about the proposal.

Meanwhile, ACWA and commission representatives also need to begin considering how to eliminate leaking munitions that could not be sent through the Pueblo depot's yet-unfinished chemical neutralization facility, said panel member Ross Vincent.

"We're going to have to deal with those regardless of what happens," he said