Richmond Register
March 28, 2002

Chemical Weapons: Water neutralization chosen for Pueblo mustard gas, Pentagon says

Robert Gehrke
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said Wednesday it would use a water-neutralization process to destroy 2,600 tons of mustard gas at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, a victory for residents and state officials who opposed an alternative plan to incinerate the gas.

"This is great news for the community," said John Klomp, president of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission. "I think the officials at the Pentagon listened very carefully to what the wishes of the community were."

This method of neutralization is being considered for the chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.

"I'm not sure why it would effect our decision here," Citizen's Advisory Commission Co-Chair Doug Hindman said. "We're going to decide what is best for Kentucky, while they are deciding what the best disposal method is for Colorado."

The Pueblo Chemical Depot contains different munitions from the Blue Grass Army Depot, BGAD Public Affairs Officer Dick Sloan said.

"All they have out there is mustard, and we are dealing with three different chemicals," he said. "We're similar in that we both have assembled munitions. All of their mustard agent is stored within munitions such as artillery shells. They don't have any rockets because mustard was never loaded into rockets."

Sloan said that he hoped once a decision was finally made, everyone could come together to get rid of the agent stored at the BGAD.

Undersecretary of Defense E.C. "Pete Aldridge said the Army plans to accelerate disposal of the chemicals so they do not become a target for terrorists.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said accelerating the disposal could drive up the cost but would save maintenance an security expenses in the long run.

Allard said Aldridge plans to sign the paper work to make the decision official by the end of the week, triggering a 30-day public comment period. An environmental impact statement must be completed before work on a neutralization plant can begin.

Work on two other neutralization plants is under way in Maryland and Indiana.

Craig Williams of the Berea-based Chemical Weapons Working Group, which opposes incineration, said water neutnalization is proven safe and effective.

"The approach they're going to use in Colorado is a low-pressure, low-temperature, easily controllable approach," he said.

The Pentagon considered two types of incineration and two types of chemical neutralization to dispose of more than 780,000 mustard gas projectiles.

Gov. Bill Owens, Rep. Scott McInnis R-Colo., Allard, the Pueblo City Council, the Pueblo County Commissioners and other groups supported water neutralization.

Mustard gas blisters the skin and lungs. The weapons are held in reinforced steel and concrete igloos 15 miles east of Pueblo. The city has been waiting for a decision on disposal since 1988.

The Army's only operating incinerator is in Tooele, Utah. Another at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean is being decommissioned after processing weapons stored there.

Other chemical stockpiles are located in Anniston, Ala.; Hermiston, Ore.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Newport, Ind.; and Aberdeen, Md.

Under a treaty, the United States has agreed to destroy nearly 30,000 tons of chemical weapons by April 29, 2007. Pentagon officials have said the Army will miss that deadline.