Initial Closure Planning for the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plants: Letter Report (2020)

April 6, 2020

Mr. Michael Abaie

Program Executive Officer

Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives

8198 Blackhawk Road, Edgewood Area

Aberdeen, MD 21010-5424

Dear Mr. Abaie:

You requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine produce a letter report addressing initial closure planning for the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plants (BGCAPP and PCAPP). In the course of conducting its work, the committee was to (1) review National Academies reports that directly addressed or touched on the closure of previous chemical demilitarization facilities and (2) to receive actual historical closure information from the Program Executive Office for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA). The committee members were then to apply their experience and expert judgment to make findings and recommendations regarding planning for the closure of BGCAPP and PCAPP.

This study was initiated on June 27, 2019. The National Academies selected committee members with extensive past experience in chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental regulation, environmental safety, hazardous materials handling and disposal, industrial engineering, industrial hygiene, and occupational safety and health. The Committee on Initial Closure Planning for the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plants was established to accomplish this task. A committee meeting was on August 13-16, 2019. At this meeting, the committee engaged in-depth with Ms. Amy Dean, senior project engineer, U.S. Army Futures Command, who has participated in several previous closure efforts, and Mr. Jeffrey Brubaker, technical advisor to the site project manager, BGCAPP, who managed the closure of the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (NECDF). The committee also engaged in several rounds of questions to PEO ACWA and received historical closure information regarding the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS), the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF), the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (PBCDF), and the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility(UMCDF).

Attachment A contains the committee roster and biographies. Attachment B contains the references. Attachment C contains a list of acronyms used in this report. Attachment D acknowledges the reviewers. Attachment E is a listing of relevant state-specific hazardous waste codes under applicable regulations.

Sincerely,

Timothy J. Shepodd, Chair
Committee on Initial Closure Planning
for the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical
Agent Destruction Pilot Plants

2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20418 Mailing Address: 500 Fifth Street, NW, 9^th Floor
Washington, DC 20001
Phone 202.334.3505 www.national-academies.org