The top official from the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program expressed his gratitude to the individuals involved in the Pueblo chemical demilitarization program during the Colorado Citizens’ Advisory Commission (CAC) meeting March 29.

“I would like to thank the members of the CAC for their dedication and service to their country,” said Conrad F. Whyne, program executive officer.

He also thanked members of the public, former members of the CAC, the workforce and the staff of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program for the time and energy invested in the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant project.

“I know it is hard work and I thank you for your participation,” Whyne said. “We’ve been able to work together as a team. It takes all of us.”

As a former director of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, Whyne reflected upon his trips to Pueblo, beginning in 2001, to participate in scoping meetings to decide the best course of action for the Pueblo chemical weapons stockpile.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’ve come a long way from those first meetings,” he said. “We can all reach the shared goal of the elimination of the chemical stockpile while being safe and compliant, with maximum protection of the public, the workers and environment.”

Whyne said he has spent 33 years working on chemical demilitarization projects, and while he may not miss the hard work after his retirement in April, he said he will miss the people.

“I spent a lot of years working with the CAC,” he said. “We could always agree to disagree, but it was all about getting the project done.”

Whyne encouraged the CAC to continue to ask hard questions and PCAPP staff to provide complete transparency.

“Thank you for your willingness to work with us, for your transparency, and for your ability to answer our questions,” said Irene Kornelly, chair, CAC. “We didn’t always agree, but we worked together to come to a successful conclusion.”