[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 8, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 41574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19843]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Destruction of Non-Stockpile Chemical Warfare Materiel at 
Pine Bluff Arsenal, AR

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Army announces its intent to prepare a site-
specific EIS on the potential impacts of the destruction of the non-
stockpile chemical warfare materiel (CWM) stored at Pine Bluff Arsenal 
and to initiate the public scoping process for the EIS. The EIS will 
examine potential environmental impacts of the alternatives of various 
destruction options. The destruction activities proposed for Pine Bluff 
Arsenal will have the following functions: (1) Munitions Accessing: 
Various accessing technologies will be assessed to include Drill and 
Drain, Sawing, Shearing and Reverse Assembly; (2) Chemical Agent 
Treatment: Technologies under consideration for agent destruction 
include Chemical Neutralization and Incineration; (3) Non-Agent 
Treatment: Industrial chemicals and binary agent precursors may be 
treated with the same technologies as the agents or neutralized agent 
waste, or may be shipped without processing to a Treatment, Storage, 
and Disposal Facility; (4) Munition Body Component and Explosives 
Treatment: Munition body decontamination and destruction technologies 
under consideration include Detonation, Shredding, Cutting (Saws and 
Fluid Jet), Plasma Arc, and Demilitarization in a Deactivation Furnace; 
(5) Post-treatment/Disposal of Liquid Waste: Technologies under 
consideration for post-treatment and disposal of liquid waste include 
Bio-Treatment, Plasma Arc, Gas Phase Chemical Reduction, Supercritical 
Water Oxidation, Incineration, Solidification and Stabilization, and 
Processing at a Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility; (6) 
Treatment/Disposal of Solid Waste: Technology under consideration for 
treatment/disposal of solid wastes include Plasma Arc, Gas Phase 
Chemical Reduction, and Landfilling.
    The alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS are: (1) Building one or 
more new facilities, (2) using the Pine bluff Chemical Agent 
Destruction Facility currently under construction, (3) bringing the 
mobil treatment systems currently under development by the Product 
Manager for Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel to Pine Bluff Arsenal and 
using them, (4) using non-developmental items, and (5) no-action 
(continued storage of the non-stockpile chemical warfare materiel at 
the Arsenal).

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeff Lindblad at 410-436-4555, by 
fax at 410-436-5122, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (Title 40, CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Army will 
prepare an EIS to assess the environmental impacts of the destruction 
of the non-stockpile chemical warfare materiel stored at the Pine Bluff 
Arsenal. Public Law and international treaty mandate the destruction of 
most of the non-stockpile chemical warfare materiel. This EIS will 
analyze the potential impacts of the various methods of destroying the 
items that are not part of the unitary stockpile. This site-specific 
EIS continues the process that began when Congress established the 
Chemical Demilitarization Program in Public Law 99-145 (1985).
    The specific purpose of the current analysis is to determine the 
environmental impacts of the alternatives that could accomplish the 
destruction of the non-stockpile chemical warfare materiel currently 
stored at the Arsenal, including the alternatives of using the 
technologies successfully demonstrated by the Chemical Stockpile 
Disposal Project, the Alternative Technologies and Approaches Project, 
the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment program, and any non-
developmental items.
    The Army will hold scoping meetings to aid in determining the 
significant issues related to the proposed action which will be 
addressed in the EIS. The scoping process will incorporate public 
participation, including Federal, State of Arkansas, 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 prior to these meetings.

    Dated: August 1, 2001.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety, and 
Occupational Health) OASA(I&E).
[FR Doc. 01-19843 Filed 8-7-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M