Plant to destroy chemical weapons takes shape in Kentucky

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Plant to destroy chemical weapons takes shape in Kentucky
By Greg Kocher | Lexington Herald-Leader
Posted on Monday, December 28, 2009

RICHMOND, Ky. — After years of planning and design, the pilot plant that will destroy 523 tons of chemical agent in is finally taking shape.

Two 300-ton cranes are moving steel and rebar in place for the buildings going up on a 50-acre site at Blue Grass Army Depot south of Richmond. Site preparation and preliminary construction actually began in 2006, but it wasn't until late summer that the first vertical steel began reaching for the sky.

"Now that we're coming out of the ground with the steel, everybody's enthusiastic about that," site project manager Jeff Brubaker said during a tour in early December.

Earlier this year, Congress appropriated more than $500 million — the largest amount ever appropriated for the program — to accelerate the disposal of weapons in Madison County and Colorado's Pueblo Depot Activity. That means more people can be put on the job and more material and equipment can be purchased, Brubaker said.

That shortens completion of the Madison County plant by two years to 2016, although testing of the equipment means the plant won't start destroying the mustard, VX and sarin nerve agents until 2018. Then it will take until 2021 to completely destroy the agents, well past the deadlines set by international treaty and by Congress to finish the job.


Rest of article at: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/environment/story/81355.html