Pine Bluff Arkansas Chemical Weapons Arsenal, 500 Earthquakes, 100,000 Dead Fish, 5000 Dead Birds, and 1 Murdered Defense Expert

Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas Completes Chemical Weapons Destruction

November 29, 2010

BioPrepWatch.com - The Pine Bluff Arsenal in White Hall, Arkansas, has completed a five year mission to destroy its entire chemical weapons stockpile, which included mustard gas, VX and GB filled rockets and land mines.

The PBA carried out the destruction, which had been laid out in a 1997 international treaty that called for the elimination of chemical weapon stockpiles by 2017, using a huge incinerator, The Cabin reports.

“For more than 60 years, the Pine Bluff team stored approximately 3,850 tons of the nation’s original chemical agent stockpile,” Conrad Whyne, the U.S. Army's Chemical Materials Agency director, said, according to The Cabin.

“Today, the Pine Bluff stockpile has been safely disposed of. From the very beginning, employees as Pine Bluff and throughout the (agency) made safety the cornerstone of our chemical weapons stockpile storage and destruction missions. Today we reap the benefits of their dedication and vigilance.”

Disposal of the mustard agent containers was stage four in the weapons destruction process that began in 2005, following the destruction of rockets filled with GB or VX nerve agent and VX nerve agent-filled land mines, The Cabin reports. When the process began, the facility had 12 percent of the nation’s entire chemical weapons stockpile.

According to the Chemical Materials Agency, around 82 percent of the nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons has been destroyed.

Over the course of the next two years, the arsenal must decommission their incinerator and related facilities. The arsenal will remain open as it is still used to produce and test chemical defense clothing and make pyrotechnic-related devices that are non-lethal.

Chemical Weapons Disposal Completed at Pine Bluff Arsenal

November 15, 2010

Arkansas News Bureau — Chemical weapons disposal operations have been completed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility announced today.

The last mustard agent-filled ton container was disposed of Friday evening, the facility said in a release. Mustard agent-filled containers were the fourth and final group of chemical weapons disposed of in operations that began in March 2005.

Previously disposed of were GB nerve agent-filled rockets, VX nerve agent-filled rockets and VX nerve agent-filled land mines.

“For more than 60 years, the Pine Bluff team stored approximately 3,850 tons of the nation’s original chemical agent stockpile,” said Conrad Whyne, director of the Chemical Materials Agency. “Today, the Pine Bluff stockpile has been safely disposed of.”

The operations were conducted by government and privately contracted workers. Site Project Manager Mark Greer said support from the local community also contributed to the project’s success.

The disposal team will continue working to effect a smooth transition to the facility’s closure, according to the release.

U.S. Army Completes Chemical Stockpile Destruction at Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility

November 15, 2010

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. - The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) announces the disposal of the last mustard agent-filled ton container in the chemical weapons stockpile of the Pine Bluff Arsenal, Ark. Disposal was completed safely the evening of Friday, Nov. 12, marking the end of chemical weapons storage at the Arsenal after nearly seven decades.

Pine Bluff Chemical Activity (PBCA) provided the safe and secure maintenance, storage and transport of approximately 12 percent of the nation's original chemical weapons stockpile, while ensuring maximum protection of the installation and community population and providing treaty compliance. PBCA personnel safely transported the original inventory of chemical weapons in 5,879 Enhanced On-Site Container deliveries from storage to the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (PBCDF). That inventory included 90,409 M55 GB rockets, 19,608 M55 VX rockets, 9,378 M23 VX landmines and 3,703 mustard ton containers.

The PBCDF provided safe and environmentally compliant chemical agent destruction operations, which began March 28, 2005. Workers destroyed the agent using incineration technology, following recommendations made by the National Research Council.

"For more than 60 years, the Pine Bluff team stored approximately 3,850 tons of the nation's original chemical agent stockpile. Today, the Pine Bluff stockpile has been safely disposed of," said CMA Director Conrad Whyne. "From the very beginning, employees at Pine Bluff and throughout the CMA made safety the cornerstone of our chemical weapons stockpile storage and destruction missions. Today we reap the benefits of their dedication and vigilance."

The PBCA and PBCDF will now begin closure operations, which will continue for approximately two years. Closure operations include official termination of surety status, closeout of treaty requirements, management and disposal of wastes through safe and environmentally acceptable methods, transfer of property, closeout of related permits, records archiving, budget requirements processing, contract closeout and management of human resources. Closure operations will be conducted in accordance with facility and storage area end-states as agreed upon with state regulators.

"The elimination of the chemical weapons stockpile at Pine Bluff Arsenal has truly been a team effort," said Carmen Spencer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for the Elimination of Chemical Weapons. "Thanks to the efforts of CMA and Pine Bluff Arsenal, and the support of the local community and the State of Arkansas, our world is a safer place and our Nation is one step closer to meeting its international commitment to dispose of its chemical weapons stockpile under the Chemical Weapons Convention."

The United States established the Chemical Demilitarization Program in 1986 to remove the threat posed by continued storage of outdated chemical weapons; meet international treaty requirements; and inspire a worldwide commitment to the elimination of an entire class of weapons of mass destruction. In April 1997 the United States came under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention, thereby requiring the safe destruction of 100 percent of the nation's chemical weapons by April 2007. The United States petitioned to have the original deadline extended to April 2012 (an extension allowed by the treaty) and was granted this five-year extension.

CMA has safely completed disposal operations and closed facilities in Edgewood, Md.; Newport, Ind.; and Johnston Atoll, located 800 miles southwest of Hawaii. CMA continues to safely store and destroy chemical weapons stockpiles in Anniston, Ala.; Tooele, Utah; and Umatilla, Ore.

CMA also oversees the safe storage of chemical weapons stockpiles in Blue Grass, Ky., and Pueblo, Colo. The disposal of these munitions falls under the purview of the Program Manager Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, a Department of Defense program.



Beebe, Arkansas, the town were 5,000 red-winged black birds fell from the sky around 11 p.m., Friday, December 31, is not that far from Pine Bluff, where the U.S. Army maintained a chemical weapons arsenal for more than 60 years; it began disposing of the stockpile in March 2005 and completed disposal operations in November 2010. The spot along the Arkansas River where the 100,000 drum fish were found dead on Thursday, December 30, was near Ozark, Arkansas. The community of 549 residents, Guy, Arkansas, which has experienced an almost constant shaking from 487 earthquakes since September 20, is north of Little Rock. The Arkansas River runs along Little Rock and Pine Bluff. There is an U.S. Air Force base in Little Rock.

See: The 10 Leading Theories for Dead Birds and Fish
See: Mass Animal Deaths on Google Maps

Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Chemical Weapons Arsenal

Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility Munitions Handlers watch the last Enhanced Onsite Container carrying VX M55 rockets being lifted by an overhead crane into the disposal facility's container handling building.

December 21, 2010

U.S. Army's Chemical Materials Agency - Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA) was one of nine Army installations in the United States that stored chemical weapons. The arsenal's chemical weapons stockiple consisted of various munitions and ton containers, containing GB or VX nerve agents or HD blister agent. The chemical weapons originally stored at the arsenal consist of various munitions and ton containers, containing GB or VX nerve agents or mustard blister agent. The Army designed the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (PBCDF) to destroy this chemical weapons stockpile, comprising approximately 12 percent of the nation’s original chemical weapons, in November 2010. This marked the end of nearly seven decades of chemical weapons storage at the Arsenal. The facility and storage area are undergoing closure operations in accordance with strict internal policies and procedures and federal laws and regulations.

PBCDF started disposal operations by destroying M55 GB rockets and later GB containers, with the last GB rocket being processed in May 2007. This marked the end of all GB munitions at PBA. The facility began processing M55 VX rockets in October 2007, with the last VX rocket being destroyed in February 2008, marking the destruction of all stockpile chemical agent-filled rockets at PBA. They began their final campaign, destruction of mustard agent-filled ton containers in December 2008.

The facility used high-temperature incineration technology, a technology employed by the Army for more than a decade, safely and successfully disposing of more than 80 percent of the nation's original chemical weapons, including the 12 percent stored at PBA.

Additional facilities and systems treat and dispose of chemical warfare materiel not associated with the stockpile, managed by the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency’s (CMA) Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSMCP). The Pine Bluff Explosive Destruction System (PBEDS) a transportable treatment technology used to process recovered chemical warfare materiel, began operations in June 2006 to destroy recovered chemical warfare materiel items stored at PBA. It successfully completed operations in April 2010. Another ongoing NSCMP project includes the Ton Container (TC) Decontamination Facility, which decontaminates TCs stored at the arsenal, allowing the steel containers to be recycled.

Throughout the years, NSCMP has successfully completed a number of projects at PBA – many ahead of international treaty deadlines. From 2004 to 2006, more than 7,000 recovered chemical warfare items were assessed using the Pine Bluff Munitions Assessment System, which identified the contents and explosive condition of the items before processing to enhance safe handling, treatment and disposal at the arsenal. The Rapid Response System, a transportable treatment technology, processed more than 5,300 Chemical Agent Identification Set (CAIS) items once stored at PBA and completed its mission in November 2006. NSCMP also demolished the Pine Bluff Integrated Binary Production Facilities (IBPF), and neutralized the remaining binary precursor chemicals, DF and QL. Neutralization of the chemicals was completed in October 2006, and demolition of the last IBPF building took place in December 2006 – the final former chemical weapons production facility destroyed in the United States.

Safety and Security

The safety of workers, the public and the environment are paramount to the success of the chemical weapons disposal mission. CMA and the Army arsenal oversee the secure storage of chemical munitions to ensure that they are safe.

Once munitions are slated for disposal, they are transported, treated and disposed of following strict internal processes and regulatory requirements. The CMA is committed to creating a safer tomorrow by permanently eliminating the threat of aging chemical weapons to our communities and our nation. This mission has been accomplished at the PBA.

Public Participation

The Arkansas Citizens' Advisory Commission, whose members include area residents appointed by the governor, is a focal point for public participation in the Army's weapons storage and disposal program in Pine Bluff.

The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program works closely with your community and state emergency professionals to develop emergency plans and provide chemical accident response equipment and warning systems.

To learn more about the Army’s chemical weapons disposal mission visit the Pine Bluff Outreach Office for Chemical Disposal.

Pine Bluff Chemical Activity (PBCA)

GlobalSecurity.org - Pine Bluff Arsenal located in Southeast Arkansas, is 35 miles Southeast of Little Rock and 8 miles Northwest of the City of Pine Bluff. PBA is bordered on the East by the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and on the West by the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 65, making it directly accessible by rail, road, or waterway. The City of Pine Bluff boasts on of the busiest ports on the Arkansas River and serves as a transportation hub for the regional railroads. PBA is located 35 miles south of the Little Rock National Airport, and 40 miles from Little Rock Air Force Base.

PBA is 8 1/2 miles long by 2 3/4 miles wide and covers 14,944 acres. It includes 952 buildings which provide 3.3 million square feet of floor space, including storage bunkers. It also has 42 miles of railroad track and 2 million square yards of roads and paved surfaces. Overall employment as of the end of FY96 included 886 Arsenal civilian employees, 128 civilians employed by tenant activities, and a total of 59 military personnel. Payroll for FY96 was $44,334,685.

The facility was established in November 1941 as the Chemical Warfare Arsenal; it was renamed Pine Bluff Arsenal 4 months later. Its original mission was as a manufacturing center for magnesium and thermite munitions. The arsenal produced its first incendiary grenade on 31 July 1942. During World War II and the years following, the arsenal’ s manufacturing capabilities continued to expand to manufacture, load and store war gases; and to fill smoke and white phosphorus munitions. The expansion included facilities to manufacture and store various types of chemical-filled weapons. Arsenal-produced conventional munitions were used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. During the war years, the arsenal produced millions of grenades, bombs, and shells as well as millions of pounds of mustard and Lewisite. While the arsenal manufactured these agents during World War II and remains a storage site for a portion of the US chemical defense stockpile, it has never produced a lethal nerve agent.

A biological weapons mission was added in 1953 and continued until 1969. Pine Bluff was the site of the Production Development Laboratories, responsible for manufacturing and loading biological munitions. President Nixon banned biological weapons in 1969 and manufacturing ceased. The bioweapons production facility at Pine Bluff was abandoned and partly dismantled in 1969. In 1972, this part of the complex was renamed the National Center for Toxicological Research, removed from the jurisdiction of the Arsenal and placed under the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Currently, it manufactures chemical, smoke, riot control, incendiary, and pyrotechnic mixes and munitions. Limited production facilities also are used to manufacture chemical defense items such as clothing and protective masks. Pine Bluff is the only active site at which white phosphorous-filled weapons are loaded.

The Pine Bluff Chemical Activity maintains its stockpile on 431 acres of land is located in the northwestern portion of Pine Bluff Arsenal.

Selected as the sole site for the Binary Production Facility in 1978, the program was active until 1990.

The Pine Bluff Chemical Activity’s specific mission is to store its stockpile of 3,850 tons of chemical weapons until they are disposed of through the Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program. The Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility will use incineration technology to safely dispose of 12.3 percent of the original US stockpile of chemical weapons. In fact, the U.S. Army is awaiting approval from the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology to build a chemical weapons disposal facility. The Pine Bluff Chemical Activity has safely stored blister agent, or mustard nerve agents since the 1950s and 1960s when the weapons were brought to the Arsenal. The stockpile consists of rockets containing the liquid nerve agents GB and VX and one-ton bulk storage containers with mustard. The safe storage of the entire stockpile is overseen by the U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command, who is charged with monitoring the storage.
Pine Bluff Arsenal possesses diverse capabilities in the field of chemical/biological protection. These capabilities include:

• Frabrication, fill and testing of chemical/biological filters in various sizes and configurations
• Chemical impregnation, repair, renovation, and testing of chemical protective clothing Rebuild and calibration of Defensive Chemical Test Equipment
• Worldwide certification to Department of Defense and contractors engaged in the testing or manufacturing of individual protective equipment
• Protective mask rebuild/repair

The Arsenal's involvement in the area of protective masks began in the late 1970s when Pine Bluff Arsenal was given the mission to produce M24/M25 A1 Masks. Today, Pine Bluff Arsenal is the United States Army's sole facility for repair and rebuild of the M17 series, M9A1, M24, M25A1, and M40 masks, and the M20 breathing apparatus.

	The Pine Bluff Chemical Activity storage area is protected by many security measures. The activity stores 12% of the nation's original chemical stockpile.
The former BZ disposal facility destroyed the U.S. stockpile of the incapacitating agent BZ between 1988 and 1990. Shown is the duct which removed ventilated air from the facility to the charcoal filtration system.	The former BZ disposal facility destroyed the U.S. stockpile of the incapacitating agent BZ between 1988 and 1990. The nine acre site will be expanded to 25 acres in order to build the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.

Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas=Dead Fish Quote

January 4, 2011

Anonymous Coward - I grew up around and went to high school in Sheridan, Arkansas. When I was recruited into the US Army in 1992, my recruiter was based in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

We took monthly trips to the Pine Bluff Arsenal for PT/Stay-in-Shape training. Most of this time was spent in the Rec Center (and on the indoor bowling lane).

Getting on and off the post was always an chore. Security is some of the tightest I've ever witnessed on a military post (grew up as an Air Force brat and lived all over the world and across the US). Badges to get on and off post and required-to-wear at all times.

I did get a driving tour of the facility on two occasions. On the surface, the post is fairly unremarkable. If not for all the warning signs and postings, you wouldn't know what went on there. The incinerator stacks are the most remarkable feature...at least recognizable to the untrained eye.

I asked a lot of questions of the mostly civilian staff that worked at the rec center. One told me that they did indeed produce Sarin Gas at the facility as well as V/X Gas. The V/X was supposedly produced in two components... only one was kept at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. The other half at a separate location to prevent "accidents" and to deter terrorist attacks/theft attempts.

My senior year of high school (1992), there was a large program put into place for all residents within a 35-50 mile radius of the Arsenal. All residents were provided with an emergency radio and gas masks "in case of emergency." I'm sure a little web research would confirm this. Check the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette if you're a paid member.

Local legends tell of various mustard-type gas canisters (circa WWI) that were returned to the area post-war and buried in the bluffs along the Arkansas River. They were uncovered due to flooding (the river tends to crest/flood the low-laying areas of Pine Bluff) and were carefully "moved"...supposedly incinerated after the fact.