Global Security Newswire & Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – 2009-06-09 00:08:05
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20090605_8742.php
Chemical Agent Disposal Campaign
Begins at Umatilla
Global Security Newswire
(June 5, 2009) — The final chemical agent demilitarization campaign is under way at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon, the US Army announced yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 29).
Transport of bulk containers filled with mustard blister agent from storage to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility began at 10 a.m. yesterday. Workers at the plant are expected to spend between one and two years incinerating the material.
“Our experienced crews are dedicated to safe and secure munitions movement and delivery to the disposal plant,” Lt. Col. Bob Stein, depot commander, said in a press release. “Deliveries have gone very well during the 12 previous munitions campaigns, but risk remains until the last ton container is gone.”
Disposal operations at the depot began in September 2004. Previous campaigns resulted in the elimination of sarin and VX nerve agents contained in 217,969 munitions, the Army said (U.S. Army release, June 4).
International officials completed a visit to the depot yesterday to confirm that the site’s chemical-weapon destruction work complied with the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Officials with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons toured the disposal facility and met with OPCW inspectors stationed at the depot, the organization said in a release.
OPCW Delegation Visits US
Chemical Weapons Destruction Facilities
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(June 4, 2009) — The facility located at Pueblo will destroy 2,371 metric tonnes of mustard agent by neutralization, followed by bio-treatment of the resulting hydrolysate
At the invitation of the government of the United States of America, a delegation from the OPCW Executive Council visited the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant in Colorado on 2 June 2009. The delegation comprised the Chairperson of the Council, Ambassador Jorge Lomónaco Tonda, together with a representative from each of the other regional groups, a representative from the Russian Federation, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter.
The visit took place in pursuance of a decision taken by the Conference of the States Parties at its 11th session in December 2006 on visits by the representatives of the Executive Council to chemical weapons destruction facilities (CWDF) and CWDF construction sites. The purpose of the visits is to “consider progress and efforts towards achieving complete destruction in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, and any measures being taken to overcome possible problems in a destruction programmes in accordance with Part IV (A), paragraph 26 of the Verification Annex”.
Two similar visits were previously conducted by the Council, one to the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in the US state of Alabama in October 2007, and the second to the Shchuchye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in the Kurgansk region of the Russian Federation in September 2008.
During the visit to Pueblo, US officials briefed the OPCW delegation on the overall implementation of the US chemical weapons destruction programme, including in particular details on the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant and the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) programme. The visit also included a tour of the construction site of the future facility as well as of two chemical weapons storage igloos.
The chemical weapons destruction facility located at Pueblo will destroy 2,371 metric tonnes of mustard agent stored in different types of projectiles and mortars by neutralization, followed by bio-treatment of the resulting hydrolysate. In December 2006, the US was granted an extension to complete the destruction of its Category 1 chemical weapons by 29 April 2012. To date, the US has destroyed a total of 16,958.5 metric tonnes, or more than 61% of its declared stockpile.
The OPCW delegation will also visit today the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in the state of Oregon.
OPCW Delegation Visits
Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in Umatilla
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(June 5, 2009) — To date, the facility has completed the destruction of all GB and VX agents, representing 37% of the original stockpile at that site
Following its visit to the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant in Colorado on 2 June 2009, an OPCW delegation concluded a visit to the United States of America on 4 June 2009 by visiting the chemical weapons destruction facility located at Umatilla, Oregon.
During the visit to Umatilla, US officials provided briefings on the US Chemical Demilitarization Program and in particular on the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. In the course of this visit, the OPCW delegation also toured the chemical weapons destruction facility and met with the OPCW inspection team deployed at the site to verify that the destruction of CW is carried out in accordance with the provisions and requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Umatilla Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility will destroy 3,374 metric tones of chemical warfare agents. To date, the facility has completed the destruction of all GB and VX agents, representing 37% of the original stockpile at that site, and will this week start the destruction of the remaining 2,122 metric tones of mustard agent.
In December 2006, the US was granted an extension to complete the destruction of its Category 1 chemical weapons by 29 April 2012. To date, the US has destroyed a total of 16,958.5 metric tonnes, or more than 61% of its declared stockpile.
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