State, Army at impasse in talks on monitoring chemical weapons stored outside Pueblo, Colo.
By APTuesday, March 16, 2010
Talks stall on monitoring chemical arms in Colo.
DENVER — State and Army officials say they’ve reached an impasse in negotiations on monitoring chemical weapons stored outside Pueblo, Colo.
The Colorado health department sued the Army in August, seeking stepped-up monitoring of the 2,600 tons of mustard agent at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
A settlement was announced in January, and the two sides were discussing how to implement it.
Earlier this month, they told a federal magistrate they had agreed on most issues but were at an impasse on two.
The state says the sticking points are whether the munitions should be classified as waste and the level of protection workers get against chemicals other than mustard.
The Army is building a plant to destroy the mustard.
