Richmond Register
June 14, 2003

Bechtel Parsons awarded bid for demilitarization at Army depot

By Jodi Whitaker

Taking one giant step forward in the process, the U.S. Army's Department of Defense awarded a contract Friday to Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass to destroy 523 tons of chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.

The Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass team is a joint venture of Bechtel National Inc. of San Francisco and Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group Inc. of Pasadena, Calif. The company will design, build, operate and close the plant over an estimated 12- to 15-year period.

"We're very pleased we've been selected," said Chris Midgett, project manager for Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. "We believe we were selected based on the technical approach we proposed and our ability and willingness to work with the local community and the Blue Grass Army Depot to bring about this project."

The Army has stored chemical agents at the Blue Grass Army Depot since 1944. Three types of agents - GB, VX and mustard - are stored in several different types of munitions. The stockpile accounts for about 2 percent of the nation's original chemical weapon stockpile, according to a release from Bechtel.

In February, the Army chose neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation as the method to destroy the Kentucky stockpile. The project is estimated to cost $2 billion, according to Washington Group International, a subcontractor of Bechtel National Inc. and Parsons Infrastructure.

Bechtel National Inc. designed, constructed and operated a neutralization facility at Aberdeen, Md., where 1,623 tons of mustard gas were destroyed. The company also constructed a facility at Anniston, Ala., to dispose of 2,254 tons of chemical agents using incineration.

In its 104 years in business, the company has completed over 20,000 projects on all seven continents.

"We will bring to this project a group of dedicated and experienced personnel in the chemical demilitarization program so we can safely destroy the chemical weapons that are destroyed at the depot," Midgett said.

Col. Martin Jacoby, commander of the Blue Grass Army Depot, said the decision means the process can finally begin.

"This means we can actually get started in getting rid of the weapons and making the community and the world a safer place to be," Jacoby said.
Bechtel Parsons will become more involved in the community, Jacoby said.

"Now that Bechtel Parsons has been picked, they're free to do more things in the community than what they have before," he said. "We'll see them take a larger role in meetings and discussions. They're a full partner in this too."

Lt. Col. Dennis Cantwell, commander of Blue Grass Chemical Activity at the depot, called the decision a "major milestone."

"It is, in our terms, a major milestone," Cantwell said. "We look forward to working with the new company as a team to accomplish a major mission for the local population, the country and for international treaty purposes. We'll make it work and we'll make it safe, and we'll get rid of the weapons as quickly and safely as we can."

A key to the project's success will be open communication, Midgett said. He said that started with the involvement of the community in choosing a method of destruction.

"The community input was very important in the technology the Army decided to use in the community," Midgett said. "That was very successful. We want to continue with that dialogue and have open communications so the community is assured we can safely and efficiently destroy these weapons."

Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass will open a small project office in Richmond within the next week or so, Midgett said. He will be traveling back and forth between Richmond and Pasadena, Calif., the home of the Parsons Design Corporation headquarters, where the project will be designed.

The community will begin seeing activity in a couple of years when the company starts gearing up for construction, Midgett said.

Midgett will be in Richmond early next week before attending a debriefing with the Army on Wednesday. The Army has sessions with the winner and loser of such contracts to go over how the companies were scored on their bids and why.

Kellogg, Brown and Root also submitted a bid for the contract. A representative from KBR could not be reached for comment after the contract award was announced.

Following the debriefing, KBR will have 10 days to decide if they want to protest the decision. If a protest is filed, it will typically take 90 days to resolve it, Midgett said.

"If the other team protests, we would be issued a stop order," Midgett said.

At that point, the government would investigate the decision and the process used to come to that point, he said.

While the technology used to destroy chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot will be different from any other already completed or underway, Midgett said he is confident his company can get the job done.

"That will be a challenge," Midgett said of the different weapon configurations at Blue Grass. "But we have people who have been involved in the research and development in that area who think we can do it."

Madison County Judge-Executive Kent Clark said he's glad to see the contract awarded, because it means the process of destroying chemical weapons stored in Madison County can finally begin.

"This is the day we've all been waiting for," Clark said. "A contractor is on board, and we're looking forward to sitting down with them, getting them involved with our advisory board and with all those involved in this process, and getting the show on the road."

Clark has proposed an advisory board made up of a number of area representatives who will work throughout the demilitarization process to make sure the process is going as the community expects it to.

State Sen. Ed Worley, D-Richmond, said the contract award is another major step in the process, and said he thinks Bechtel was a good choice.

"I think it's a huge step toward completing the process," Worley said. "Now we have the technology and a process. The contractor has a tremendous responsibility in this process.
They have to participate in the final design and development of this technology. I think Bechtel is the most equipped to do that."

Craig Williams, executive director of the local Chemical Weapons Working Group, said he is glad this major step has been taken.

"There have been several milestones that have been reached in the last year after 16 years of debate," Williams said. "We've had major milestones coming down in the last year, and this is another significant one. It shows we are now moving to the next phase. We've got the contractor identified, and that indicates progress. "

Williams said the decision being announced on the day his group was told it would be made is also a good sign.

"This decision was on schedule, which makes it somewhat unique in the history of the program," Williams said. "That's a good sign. It shows people are focused, and this thing is tracking in a very positive manner."