[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 73 (Friday, April 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20140-20141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9337]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Design, Construction, and Operation of a Facility for the 
Destruction of Chemical Agent at Pueblo Chemical Depot, CO

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION:  Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This announces the Army's intent to prepare a site-specific 
Environmental Impact Statement on the potential impacts of the design, 
construction, and operation of a facility to destroy the mustard 
chemical agent and munitions stored at Pueblo Chemical Depot, Colorado. 
The proposed facility will be used to demilitarize the chemical agent 
and munitions currently stored at Pueblo Chemical Depot. The 
Environmental Impact Statement will examine potential environmental 
impacts of the following destruction facility alternatives:
    a. A baseline incineration facility.
    b. A full-scale facility to pilot test the single-story 
incineration process.
    c. A full-scale facility to pilot test the alternative technology 
successfully demonstrated by the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment 
Program--neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation.
    d. A full-scale facility to pilot test the alternative technology 
successfully demonstrated by the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment 
Program--neutralization followed by biodegradation.
    e. No action, an alternative which will continue the storage of the 
mustard agent and munitions at Pueblo Chemical Depot.
    To fulfill the need for destruction of the chemical weapons 
stockpile at Pueblo Chemical Depot in time to meet the requirements of 
the Chemical Weapons Convention, a pilot test facility would have to be 
determined to be as safe as and as cost efficient as baseline 
incineration. It must also be capable of completing destruction of the 
Pueblo Chemical Depot stockpile by the later of the Chemical Weapons 
Convention destruction date or the date the Pueblo Chemical Depot 
stockpile would be destroyed if baseline incineration were used. This 
requirement is consistent with the requirement for certification 
contained in section 142 of the Strom Thurmond National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, Public Law 105-261.

DATES: Written comments must be received not later than May 30, 2000, 
in order to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be forwarded to the Program Manager for 
Chemical Demilitarization, Public Outreach and Information Office 
(ATTN: Mr. Gregory Mahall), Building E-4585, Aberdeen Proving Ground, 
MD 21010-4005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gregory Mahall at 410-436-1093, by 
fax at 410-436-5122, or by mail at [email protected]. 
army.mil or by mail at the above listed address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  In compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (40, FR parts 1500-1508), the Army will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to assess the health and 
environmental impacts of the design, construction, and operation of a 
facility to destroy the mustard chemical agent and munitions stored at 
Pueblo Chemical Depot, Colorado. Public law and international treaty 
require the mustard chemical agent and munitions to be destroyed. This 
Environmental Impact Statement will analyze the impact of the various 
methods of destroying the Pueblo stockpile. This action is proposed in 
concert with an announcement to programmatically address the process 
for follow-on tests for assembled chemical weapons destruction 
technologies at one or more sites. These two separate and distinct 
analyses serve complementary but distinct purposes.
    This site-specific Environmental Impact Statement continues the 
process that began when Congress established the Program for Chemical 
Demilitarization in Public Law 99-145 in 1985. This law requires the 
destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile by a deadline established 
by treaty. That date is April 2007. This requirement still exists, 
notwithstanding the establishment of the Assembled Chemical Weapons 
Assessment Program. The Chemical Demilitarization Program established 
by Public Law 99-145 published a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement in January 1988. The Record of Decision states that the 
stockpile of chemical agents and munitions should be destroyed in a 
safe and environmentally acceptable manner by on-site incineration. 
Site-specific Environmental Impact Statements that tier off the 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement have been prepared for 
Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System, Tooele Chemical Agent 
Disposal Facility, Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Umatilla 
Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, and Pine Bluff Chemical Agent 
Disposal Facility.
    The specific purpose of the current analysis is to determine the 
environmental impacts of the alternatives that could accomplish the 
destruction of the stockpile at Pueblo Chemical Depot by the required 
destruction date of April 2007, including the alternatives of using the 
technologies successfully demonstrated by the Assembled Chemical 
Weapons Assessment Program. In the course of the environmental impact 
analysis it will be determined whether construction of a full-scale 
plant operated initially as a pilot facility and utilizing any of the 
technologies successfully demonstrated in the Assembled Chemical 
Weapons Assessment Program is capable of destroying the stockpile at 
Pueblo Chemical Depot by the required destruction date (or as soon 
thereafter as could be achieved by constructing a destruction facility 
using the baseline incineration technology), and of doing so as safely 
as use of the baseline incineration technology. The Record of Decision, 
based on the 1988 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, does not 
limit or predetermine the results of this consideration, and it does 
not dictate the decision to be made in the Record of Decision following 
completion of the Environmental Impact Statement for this action at 
Pueblo Chemical Depot. The Army 1988 Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement will be used to cover Pueblo Chemical Depot actions in the 
event that an incineration technology is selected as the preferred 
alternative at the conclusion of the analysis of all the available 
alternatives.
    The second document announcing the programmatic analysis for 
follow-on pilot testing of successful Assembled Chemical Weapons 
Assessment Program demonstration tests pursuant to the process 
established by Congress in

[[Page 20141]]

Public Laws 10-208 and 10-261 addresses a distinct but related purpose. 
That purpose is to determine which technologies can be pilot tested and 
if so, at which site or sites. That Environmental Impact Statement will 
be distinct from this site-specific Environmental Impact Statement in 
that its emphasis will be on the feasibility of pilot testing one or 
more of the demonstrated and approved Assembled Chemical Weapons 
Assessment Program technologies considering the unique characteristics 
of the alternative sites, to include Pueblo Chemical Depot. The 
Environmental Impact Statement will not consider the use of a full-
scale facility operated initially as a pilot facility at Pueblo 
Chemical Depot; as discussed above, this alternative will be considered 
in the site specific Environmental Impact Statement for Pueblo Chemical 
Depot. At the conclusion of both of these Environmental Impact 
Statements, the same officials will issue the Records of Decision.
    The Army will hold scoping meetings to aid in determining the 
significant issues related to the proposed action which will be 
addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement. The scoping process 
will incorporate public participation, including Federal, State of 
Colorado, and local agencies, as well as residents within the affected 
environment. The dates, times, and locations of scoping meetings will 
be announced in appropriate news media at least 15 days prior to these 
meetings.

    Dated: April 10, 2000.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety, and 
Occupational Health) OASA (I&E).
[FR Doc. 00-9337 Filed 4-13-00; 8:45 am]
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