[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 194 (Monday, October 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 58212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23522]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Revision of the DoD 6055.09-STD, ``Department of Defense 
Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards''

AGENCY: Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of change.

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SUMMARY: The Chairman, Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board 
(DDESB), is today announcing several changes to DoD 6055.9-STD, dated 5 
October 2004. The DDESB is republishing the Standard (now DoD 6055.09-
STD) with changes deliberated by the Voting Board members from October 
5, 2004 to July 18, 2005.
    The DDESB is taking this action pursuant to its statutory authority 
as set forth in Title 10, United States Code, Section 172 (10 U.S.C. 
172) and DoD Directive 6055.9E, ``Explosives Safety Management and the 
Explosives Safety Board (DDESB),'' August 19, 2005. The Standard is 
applicable to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military 
Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the 
Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, 
and all other organizational entities in the Department of Defense 
(hereafter referred to collectively as the ``DoD Components'').
    Through DoD 6055.09-STD, the DDESB establishes minimum explosives 
safety requirements for storing and handling ammunition and explosives. 
Copies of the revised Standard dated February 29, 2008, may be 
downloaded from the DoD Directives Program Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more detailed information on 
specific aspects of this Standard, contact Dr. Jerry M. Ward, phone: 
(703) 325-2525; e-mail: [email protected]; DDESB, 2461 
Eisenhower Avenue, Room 856C, Alexandria, VA 22331-0600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dating back to 1928 when Congress directed 
the Secretaries of the military departments to establish a joint board 
of officers to ``keep informed on stored supplies of ammunition and 
components thereof * * *, with particular regard to keeping those 
supplies properly dispersed and stored and to preventing hazardous 
conditions from arising to endanger life and property inside or outside 
of storage reservations,'' the DDESB (formerly known as the Ammunition 
Safety Board) has periodically revised or updated the Standard based on 
new scientific or technical information and explosives safety 
experience. The implementation of a change to DoD 6055.09-STD depends 
on formal publication of a change to DoD 6055.09-STD. In order to 
ensure compliance, the DoD Components modify their implementing 
procedures and standards accordingly.
    This revision to the 5 October 2004 version of DoD 6055.09-STD 
incorporates, as appropriate, recommendations made by Voting Board 
members at the 327th DDESB meeting held on December 14, 2004, and the 
328th DDESB meeting held on July 18, 2005, and included in their 
replies to DDESB vote by correspondence memoranda dated March 11, 2005 
and June 30, 2005.
    The changes included herein address the following:
     Replaces Chapter 12 ``Real Property Contaminated with 
Ammunition, Explosives or Chemical Agents'' with completely revised 
Chapter 12 ``Real Property Known or Suspected to Contain Munitions and 
Explosives of Concern and Chemical Agents'' that includes explosives 
safety standards for the identification and control of areas known or 
suspected to contain Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) or 
Chemical Agents (CA), addresses explosives and CA safety aspects of 
response actions as well as special considerations, provides criteria 
for required safety submissions as well as for amendments and 
corrections to these submissions, provides criteria for after action 
reports, provides criteria for transfer of real property outside of DoD 
control
     Relocates criteria for the termination of use of 
facilities storing ammunition and explosives from the previous Chapter 
12 to Chapter 1
     Includes a new Chapter 15 ``Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)'' 
that provides criteria for the disposition of UXO, addresses special 
considerations, provides criteria for access to areas known or 
suspected to contain UXO and for identification and control of such 
areas, provides minimum separation distances for UXO, addresses other 
considerations
     Includes a new Chapter 16 ``Material Potentially 
Presenting an Explosives Hazard (MPPEH)'' that provides explosives 
safety standards for MPPEH
     Expands Glossary to include new terms used in the revised 
Chapter 12, and new Chapters 15 and 16
     Removes the exception for quantity-distance (QD) 
application to roll-on and roll-off ammunition and explosives 
operations
     Establishes criteria for the siting of and authorized 
operations at reduced QD magazines
     Expands the criteria for application of no QD to 
ammunition and explosives stored in ships' magazines and intended for 
the service of shipboard armament or aircraft
    In adopting these changes, the Chairman, DDESB has determined that 
the Standards, as changed, are at least as protective as the previous 
Standards.

    Dated: September 29, 2008.
Patricia L. Toppings,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
 [FR Doc. E8-23522 Filed 10-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P