Early in 2006, Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland became the first continental U.S. military site to eliminate its stockpile of chemical weapons. It was an important milestone for the country, and also for Bechtel, which has led the effort at Aberdeen and is involved in similar chemical demilitarization projects at two other U.S. military sites—Colorado’s U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky.
Though never used by the United States, chemical weapons were stockpiled at a number of army bases during and after World War II. In 1985, Congress decided that the time had come to turn the feared and dangerous chemical weapons into a harmless part of history.
It’s a complex job that involves designing, building, and operating facilities to neutralize the agent; dismantling the facilities when the work is complete; and then restoring the land for other uses. The nature of the work makes it unique for Bechtel, says Joe Nemec, the company’s chemical demilitarization operations manager. “We don’t usually get involved in projects where we build something and then have to tear it down,” he says.
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