Puebloans: rest easy. Congress is about to pass our bill to finally bring certainty to the future of the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Our Promoting Utilization and Economic Benefits from Land Optimization (PUEBLO) Act has been included in the final version of the annual defense authorization bill, which will pass into law this month.

What does this bill mean for Pueblo? The PUEBLO Act directs the Army to close the Pueblo Chemical Depot no later than one year after the completion of the chemical demilitarization mission using the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The Depot hit this milestone in June. Passage of this legislation means a seamless transfer of Department of Defense land to the local economic redevelopment authority, PuebloPlex, which will reimagine the property to serve Pueblo for decades to come.

The Pueblo Chemical Depot was one of two remaining military sites in the United States that safely stored chemical weapons. The weapons held at these facilities were incredibly outdated; the projectiles and munitions were manufactured in World War II, and have been safely stored at the Depot since the 1940s.

The U.S. Army has been in the process of decommissioning the chemical weapons at the Depot since 2015. This destruction has been done through a rigorous and scientifically tested process to ensure the safety of the employees and the surrounding environment. And the work just wrapped up – the Army announced on June 22 that the stockpile has been destroyed and neutralized.

But as the Pueblo Chemical Depot’s service comes to a close, Pueblo County is just getting started. Word has gotten out that Southern Colorado is the place to do business and raise a family, all with superb access to Colorado’s beautiful landscapes.

Pueblo has grown every year for the past decade, and it’s no secret why. It’s home to a bustling transportation sector, world-class colleges, a diverse array of small businesses, delicious green chiles, and so much more.

But, Puebloans have been concerned about the last steps in the Depot’s cleanup and whether the Army would finish the job, leaving Pueblo with usable land. That’s where the PUEBLO Act comes in.

The Promoting Utilization and Economic Benefits from Land Optimization (PUEBLO) Act will fully close the Pueblo Chemical Depot and transfer the remaining parcel of land to the Pueblo community for economic redevelopment. Through the BRAC process, the Army is obligated to pay to clean up the site. Every year, Congress funds the BRAC process for projects across the country. Make no mistake, we will make sure it gets funded every year, until the cleanup is done.

This step is necessary for the Depot’s land to be returned to our community with nearly limitless potential going forward. PuebloPlex is already redeveloping 16,000 acres of former Depot land into training, research, and development facilities for the rail and transportation industry, and there are similar plans for the remaining land after the PUEBLO Act passes and the Depot closes. This will not only elevate Pueblo’s transportation and manufacturing powerhouse industry, but create good-paying jobs for Coloradans, too.

And to top it all off, our PUEBLO Act is going to pass as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual bill setting policy for our military. If all goes well, this will be wrapped up with a bow and on the president’s desk for his signature by Christmas.