The Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County stores 523 tons of chemical weapons in igloos like this one. A safe neutralization facility to destroy our stockpile is currently under construction. It is estimated that the weapons can be destroyed by 2017, if the project continues to be adequately funded
Safe Chemical Weapons Disposal
In addition to serving as the lead organization of the national Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG) coalition, KEF serves as leader in community oversight of and involvement in the chemical weapons disposal program in Kentucky.
KEF Staff /CWWG Director Craig Williams is Co-Chair of the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Community Advisory Board (CDCAB), designed by KEF and federally funded to funnel broad community input into Army and contractor decisions.
KEF strives to ensure that workers and nearby residents are protected from exposure to lethal chemical agents by overseeing the progress of and modifications to the weapons neutralization facility, coordinating with state agencies on adherence to air, water and waste regulations, and alerting legislators on Army and contractor mismanagement.
To more fully protect the community and depot workers, KEF has advocated strongly and will continue to advocate for advanced warfare agent monitoring systems to be installed wherever there is the possibility of lethal chemical agents leaking from the stored munitions or while the agents are being treated.
In promoting worker protection we routinely support workers who blow the whistle on safety violations by connecting them with attorneys with the Government Accountability Project and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and advocating accountability among contractors and the Army itself by working with legislators and independent investigators.
As the neutralization of Kentucky’s stockpile of chemical weapons gets underway, we will continue to rally the community against any proposed off-site shipments of the secondary wastes of this process. We will never condone shipment of the wastes to be incinerated in minority communities already overburdened with toxic emissions. In our work to keep the safe treatment of secondary wastes on-site we will partner with other anti-incineration and environmental justice groups such as Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
KEF's Issues
- Safe Chemical Weapons Disposal
- Clean Air, Clean Energy
- Toxic-Free Future
- Environmentally Sustainable Neighbors/Depot