The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) was responsible for the safe and environmentally compliant destruction of the remaining declared U.S. chemical weapons stockpile formerly stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) in Colorado and the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Kentucky. It is now responsible for the closure of destruction facilities at those sites.

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) destroyed the stockpile in Colorado, and the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) destroyed the stockpile in Kentucky. The destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile was completed July 7, 2023, with the destruction of the last munition at BGAD, fulfilling the nation’s commitment under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) treaty. PEO ACWA will continue to prioritize the safety of the workforce, community and environment throughout the closure process.

Closure Phase

The destruction facilities will be closed in a safe, environmentally protective and compliant manner and in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and requirements. The process of closing a chemical destruction facility involves five major factors and is sequenced to comply with all permits, regulations and requirements. These are:

1. Decontamination: removing residual contamination to safe and environmental protective levels, as prescribed by permits.
2. Decommissioning: rendering equipment safe for removal and eventual demolition.
3. Dispositioning: transferring government personal property for reuse, sale, recycling or disposal and reconfiguring property for return to the respective U.S. Army installation.
4. Demolition: removing facilities not required for future Army use.
5. Administrative closeout: closing environmental permits, contracts and interagency agreements and archiving records.

PEO ACWA benefits from personnel who have experience from previous U.S. chemical demilitarization projects, some of whom have participated in closure activities at the seven former locations. Other well-trained workers in the program are also providing knowledge and expertise during this process. These highly skilled, valued members of the workforce must be retained for several more years to ensure the final part of the mission is completed.

As the plants conduct their closure phases, certain workforce positions will no longer be essential to the functioning of the plants, and those workforce members will move on to other opportunities, including retirement. The government and contractor companies have programs in place to realign personnel with other available positions in their structures, and the communities around the plants are investigating possibilities for retaining skilled personnel through other local business opportunities.

When the closure phase is complete, the ACWA program will conclude, ending formal ties and interactions with numerous stakeholders who have engaged with PEO ACWA’s activities.

Safety and Protection of the Environment

The destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile eliminated the risk associated with the storage of chemical weapons in Pueblo and Madison counties and nearby communities. The implementation of strict safety procedures during operations will continue throughout the closure activities. The program is committed to completing the closure phase as efficiently as possible and in a safe, environmentally protective and compliant manner.

Property Disposition

PEO ACWA is a tenant organization, which means it is part of one military organization occupying facilities on an installation of another military organization from which it receives services and support. Closure involves two types of government property: real property and personal property.

Real property includes land, buildings, structures and utilities. PEO ACWA constructed specialized improvements (buildings and infrastructure) on the installations’ real property to execute its chemical demilitarization mission. These improvements are owned by the U.S. Army. As a tenant, PEO ACWA does not make decisions regarding the retention or removal of real property, as these decisions are under the purview and authority of the U.S. Army through the appropriate chain of command.

Personal property generally includes items such as equipment, spares and repair parts. Excess personal property will be screened for reuse within the Army and other federal organizations before being made available to the public. During closure of the destruction plants, government personal property that is no longer needed for mission requirements will be declared “excess” and screened by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) or the General Services Administration (GSA) for reuse by other federal agencies. If the property is no longer needed by the federal government, it is designated “surplus” property and made available to the public through several means. PEO ACWA’s primary responsibility for personal property ends when it is declared excess and returned to DLA or GSA. GSA is responsible for dispositioning of any personal property that is declared surplus.

PEO ACWA is working to communicate effectively and collaborate with the responsible Army authorities in the closure of its facilities and provide stakeholders with the information they need to make decisions concerning the reuse and disposition of property.

Program Partners

PEO ACWA will continue its program participation with all stakeholders to engender confidence and sustainable decision-making. Organizations that regulate, interact with and support PEO ACWA, such as the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Materiel Command, U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will continue their missions after the chemical weapons demilitarization program closes. Other organizations that support PEO ACWA, such as the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity, will be reduced and will focus on the remaining parts of their missions. As mandated by Congress, the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), created specifically in support of and in response to the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile, will end after the stockpile is eliminated and all remaining agent in accessible form is destroyed. CSEPP funding will continue for 180 days after the termination of surety status. The Blue Grass facility will remain in surety status beyond operations into the closure phase until all drained, containerized rocket warheads containing recoverable agent, considered secondary waste, are destroyed.

Public Participation

Governor-appointed state Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commissions (CACs) and their various subcommittees are the primary means for interested citizens to have a voice regarding the chemical destruction projects in Colorado and Kentucky. Since their inception by Congressional mandate in 1996, the CACs have given local communities the opportunity to become involved through all project phases, issues and achievements. The CACs will remain active until the end of closure activities or upon the request of the governor of that commission’s state, whichever occurs first. For information on how to get involved, please visit the ACWA Public Involvement website.

Plant Closure Milestones

PEO ACWA will recognize key closure phase milestones to maintain transparency with stakeholders and raise awareness of the country’s progress toward facility closure and the completion of the U.S. commitment to destroy 100% of its chemical weapons stockpile.

Milestone	Description
End of Stockpile	All munitions drained and chemical agent neutralized in accordance with CWC treaty commitment requirements.
End of Surety	All accountable quantities of chemical agent have been destroyed.
Decontamination Complete	Non-agent processing areas and equipment have been decontaminated or removed to meet Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit Facility Closure Plan criteria.
Decontamination Complete/Unventilated Monitoring Tests (UMT)	Agent processing areas and equipment have been decontaminated or removed to achieve RCRA Permit Facility Closure Plan criteria as demonstrated by the UMT.
Demolition Complete	Per End State Memoranda of Understanding, destruction of buildings is completed.
Permit Closure	Verification and reporting confirmed with state and national environmental agencies that the sites meet permit closure conditions.
Administrative Closeout/Property Turnover	All property is dispositioned through designated and approved processes, facilities are vacated and turned over to depot or end user responsibility, contracts and intra-service support agreements are closed, and responsibility for prior execution year program administrative closeout is handed over to another organization.