The public is invited to comment on a permit modification request that, if approved, would add flexibility to the destruction of drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of nerve agent at the Blue Grass plant while maintaining the strict focus on safety.

The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office will host a public meeting for this permit modification request at 5:30 p.m. ET March 7 at 1000 Commercial Drive, Suite 2, in Richmond, Kentucky.

According to the application provided to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, the request would allow processing of agent-contaminated secondary waste, specifically, drained VX warheads in canisters, at the Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, 2000 facility. The request is being made to provide contingent operational availability of the SDC 2000 unit once GB containerized rocket warhead processing is complete.

“We want to make sure we have every tool available to complete the secondary waste destruction as quickly, but as safely as possible,” said Bill Buchanan, environmental permitting manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “It’s not really adding anything. The SDC 2000 is destroying containerized warheads with residual GB nerve agent and the SDC 1200 is permitted to do drained warheads with both VX and GB nerve agent. We want to have the SDC 2000 available for VX residual secondary waste as well just in case we need it down the road.”

Information about this permit modification request can be found on the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives website. The 60-day public comment period closes April 15.

For those who might need assistance during the meeting, please submit requests for alternate formats, sign-language interpreters and other reasonable accommodations as soon as possible but no later than March 4 via email to Mark York at mhyork@bechtel.us.