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Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant

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86-645: The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) is a facility built to destroy the chemical weapons stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), near Richmond, Kentucky. The last munition, an M55 rocket containing GB nerve agent, was destroyed July 7, 2023. It marked the last chemical weapon in the U.S. stockpile. Since 1944, the Army stored 523 short tons (474 t) of nerve agents sarin (GB) and VX and mustard agent in 155mm projectiles, 8-inch projectiles and M55 rockets at BGAD. That

172-448: A class of hazardous chemical weapons that have been stockpiled by many nations. Unitary agents are effective on their own and do not require mixing with other agents. The most dangerous of these are nerve agents ( GA , GB , GD , and VX ) and vesicant (blister) agents, which include formulations of sulfur mustard such as H, HT, and HD. They all are liquids at normal room temperature, but become gaseous when released. Widely used during

258-450: A commitment to the OPCW to complete chemical weapons destruction by September 30, 2023, which it accomplished. Closure activities (shut-down, dismantling, and restoration of site) are slated to be completed by 2026. Legislation enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2007 (Public Laws 110-116 and 110-181) mandated the destruction of the remaining U.S. national chemical stockpile in accordance with

344-553: A government-published set of Presidential proclamations. Section 7 of the Copyright Act of 1909 (later codified as Section 8 of title 17 U.S.C.) provided that "No copyright shall subsist ... in any publication of the United States Government, or any reprint, in whole or in part, thereof ..." Section 7 also contained a "savings clause", which stated that "The publication or republication by

430-576: A matter of public policy. But other material prepared for State Governments by their employees, notably the headnotes, syllabi, annotations, etc. prepared by court reporters, had been held copyrightable on behalf of the States. The Copyright Act of 1909 was the first copyright statute to address government publications. Section 7 of the Act (later codified as Section 8 of title 17 U.S.C.) provided that "No copyright shall subsist   ... in any publication of

516-492: A new off-gas treatment system and completing systemization, the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 began destroying drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent. The containerized rocket warheads are considered agent-contaminated secondary waste and are being destroyed as part of the plant's closure phase. In September 2019, BGCAPP received state approval to begin work on

602-523: A second, larger SDC, called the SDC 2000. Workers broke ground January 22, 2020. The site includes the main structure housing the detonation chamber, a storage magazine and support buildings. It began operations on January 27, 2023, destroying the first containerized rocket warhead containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent. BGCAPP used the new, larger SDC 2000 to destroy undrained rocket warheads, M55 rocket overpacks and rockets not suitable to be processed in

688-506: A state or local government may be subject to copyright. Some states have placed much of their work into the public domain by waiving some or all of their rights under copyright law. For example, the constitution and laws of Florida have placed its government's works in the public domain. Unorganized territories (such as American Samoa and the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands ) are treated, for copyright purposes, as

774-464: A study to assess capabilities and costs for protecting civilian populations during related emergencies, and the effectiveness of expedient, in-place shelters . At the end of World War II , the Allies occupied Germany and found large stockpiles of chemical weapons that they did not know how to dispose of or deal with. Ultimately, the Allies disposed large quantities of these chemical weapons into

860-477: A total of 628 casualties. The U.S. Government was highly criticized for exposing American service members to chemical agents while testing the effects of exposure. These tests were often performed without the consent or prior knowledge of the soldiers affected. Australian service personnel were also exposed as a result of the "Brook Island trials" carried out by the British Government to determine

946-598: A toxic result in their existing state. The majority of the chemical weapon stockpile is unitary and most of it is stored in one-ton bulk containers. Copyright status of works by the federal government of the United States A work of the United States government is defined by the United States copyright law , as "a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties". Under section 105 of

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1032-840: Is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a weapon "or its precursor that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action. Munitions or other delivery devices designed to deliver chemical weapons, whether filled or unfilled, are also considered weapons themselves." Chemical weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), though they are distinct from nuclear weapons , biological weapons , and radiological weapons . All may be used in warfare and are known by

1118-529: Is an independent organization based in The Hague . The OPCW administers the terms of the CWC to 192 signatories, which represents 98% of the global population. As of June 2016 , 66,368 of 72,525 metric tonnes, (92% of chemical weapon stockpiles), have been verified as destroyed. The OPCW has conducted 6,327 inspections at 235 chemical weapon-related sites and 2,255 industrial sites. These inspections have affected

1204-501: Is dispositioned, real property is returned to BGAD, environmental permits are closed and the contract is closed. The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office permanently closed to the public in 2024, but staff continues to be available at bgoutreach@iem.com. The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office was established to serve as the community's primary information resource on chemical weapons destruction in Kentucky. Although

1290-473: Is not considered incineration and does not require disassembly of weapons. Three general types of technologies can destroy chemical weapons: Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass received approval from PEO ACWA to begin initial work on an Explosive Destruction Technology system at the Blue Grass plant. Following a competitive procurement process, Bechtel Parsons selected the Static Detonation Chamber. In June 2015,

1376-408: Is not required to assert claim to copyright. Whenever the contractor asserts claim to copyright in works other than computer software, the government, and others acting on its behalf, are granted a license to reproduce, prepare derivative works , distribute, perform and display the copyrighted work. For computer software produced under FAR contract, the scope of the government's license does not include

1462-472: Is printed", with the proviso "that no publication reprinted from such stereotype or electrotype plates and no other Government publication shall be copyrighted". The provision in the Printing Act concerning copyright of government works was probably the result of the "Richardson Affair" , which involved an effort in the late 1890s by Representative James D. Richardson (1843–1914) to privately copyright

1548-432: Is published or republished commercially, it has frequently been the practice to add some "new matter" in the form of an introduction, editing, illustrations, etc., and to include a general copyright notice in the name of the commercial publisher. This in no way suggests to the public that the bulk of the work is uncopyrightable and therefore free for use. "To make the notice meaningful rather than misleading", section 403 of

1634-488: Is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention and monitored the progress of the nation's chemical weapons destruction programs. The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) oversaw the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile and now is managing destruction of agent-contaminated secondary waste and closure activities. A systems contract

1720-531: Is the most recent arms control agreement with the force of International law . Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction . That agreement outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. It is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  (OPCW), which

1806-534: Is the newest signatory, acceding August 7, 2003. This treaty states that chemical and biological weapons are "justly condemned by the general opinion of the civilised world". And while the treaty prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons, it does not address the production, storage, or transfer of these weapons. Treaties that followed the Geneva Protocol did address those omissions and have been enacted. The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

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1892-589: The Baltic Sea , including 32 000 tonnes of chemical munitions and chemical warfare agents dumped into the Bornholm Basin , and another 2000 tonnes of chemical weapons in the Gotland Basin . The majority of these chemical munitions were dumped into the sea while contained in simple wooden crates, leading to a rapid proliferation of chemicals. Chemical Weapons being disposed in the ocean during

1978-559: The Chemical Weapons Convention (1993), there is a legally binding, worldwide ban on the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. However, large stockpiles of chemical weapons continue to exist, usually justified as a precaution against possible use by an aggressor. Continued storage of these chemical weapons is a hazard, as many of the weapons are now more than 50 years old, raising risks significantly. Chemical warfare involves using

2064-501: The Copyright Act of 1976 , such works are not entitled to domestic copyright protection under U.S. law and are therefore in the public domain . This act only applies to U.S. domestic copyright as that is the extent of U.S. federal law. The U.S. government asserts that it can still hold the copyright to those works in other countries. Publication of an otherwise protected work by the U.S. government does not put that work in

2150-636: The Department of Commerce under the Standard Reference Data Act. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), FY2020, granted civilian members of the faculty at twelve federal government institutions the authority to retain and own copyright of works produced in the course of employment for publication by a scholarly press or journal. The lack of copyright protection for works of the United States government does not apply to works of U.S. subnational governments. Thus, works created by

2236-636: The Iran–Iraq War . Iraq used mustard gas and nerve agents against its own civilians in the 1988 Halabja chemical attack . The Cuban intervention in Angola saw limited use of organophosphates . The Syrian government has used sarin , chlorine, and mustard gas in the Syrian civil war – generally against civilians. Terrorist groups have also used chemical weapons, notably in the Tokyo subway sarin attack and

2322-739: The Matsumoto incident . See also chemical terrorism . International law has prohibited the use of chemical weapons since 1899, under the Hague Convention : Article 23 of the Regulations Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land adopted by the First Hague Conference "especially" prohibited employing "poison and poisoned arms". A separate declaration stated that in any war between signatory powers,

2408-559: The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare , is an International treaty prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. It was signed at Geneva June 17, 1925, and entered into force on February 8, 1928. 133 nations are listed as state parties to the treaty. Ukraine

2494-547: The United States Postal Service are typically subject to normal copyright. Most USPS materials, artwork, and design and all postage stamps as of January 1, 1978, or after are subject to copyright laws. Works of the former United States Post Office Department are in the public domain (due to its former position as a cabinet department). 15 U.S.C.   § 290e authorizes U.S. Secretary of Commerce to secure copyright for works produced by

2580-674: The Vietnamese environment, causing disease , stunted growth , and deformities . The stockpiles, which have been maintained for more than 50 years, are now considered obsolete. Public Law 99-145 , contains section 1412, which directs the Department of Defense  (DOD) to dispose of the stockpiles. This directive fell upon the DOD with joint cooperation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency  (FEMA). The Congressional directive has resulted in

2666-706: The World War I , the effects of so-called mustard gas , phosgene gas , and others caused lung searing, blindness, death and maiming. During World War II the Nazi regime used a commercial hydrogen cyanide blood agent trade-named Zyklon B to commit industrialised genocide against Jews and other targeted populations in large gas chambers . The Holocaust resulted in the largest death toll to chemical weapons in history. As of 2016 , CS gas and pepper spray remain in common use for policing and riot control; CS and pepper spray are considered non-lethal weapons . Under

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2752-584: The military may differ significantly from civilian agency contracts. Civilian agencies and NASA are guided by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). There are a number of FAR provisions that can affect the ownership of the copyright. FAR Subpart 27.4—Rights in Data and Copyright provides copyright guidance for the civilian agencies and NASA. Additionally, some agencies may have their own FAR Supplements that they follow. Under

2838-478: The toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare and biological warfare , which together make up NBC, the military initialism for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (warfare or weapons). None of these fall under the term conventional weapons , which are primarily effective because of their destructive potential. Chemical warfare does not depend upon explosive force to achieve an objective. It depends upon

2924-454: The 1976 Act required that, when the copies consist " 'preponderantly of one or more works of the United States Government', the copyright notice (if any) identify those parts of the work in which copyright is claimed. A failure to meet this requirement would be treated as an omission of the notice", resulting, absent the application of some exception, in the loss of copyright protection. The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 amended

3010-544: The 20th century is not unique to the Baltic Sea , and other heavily contaminated areas where disposal occurred are the European, Japanese, Russian, and United States coasts. These chemical weapons dumped in the ocean pose a continual environmental and human health risk, and chemical agents and breakdown products from said agents have been recently been identified in ocean sediment near historical dumping sites. When chemical weapons are dumped or otherwise improperly disposed of,

3096-940: The Allied powers never did, and the Axis used them only very sparingly. The reason for the lack of use by the Nazis, despite the considerable efforts that had gone into developing new varieties, might have been a lack of technical ability or fears that the Allies would retaliate with their own chemical weapons. Those fears were not unfounded: the Allies made comprehensive plans for defensive and retaliatory use of chemical weapons, and stockpiled large quantities. Japanese forces used them more widely, though only against their Asian enemies, as they also feared that using it on Western powers would result in retaliation. Chemical weapons were frequently used against Kuomintang and Chinese communist troops. However,

3182-692: The April 2012 date, but in no circumstances later than December 31, 2017. This deadline was subsequently extended to December 31, 2023, by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92). The Department of Defense conducted studies to evaluate potential impacts of the elimination of these weapons using incineration and non-incineration methods for the plant. Four technologies were considered: The Department of Defense initially selected neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation for use at

3268-490: The Army to evaluate alternative disposal approaches that might be "significantly safer", more cost effective, and which could be completed within the established time frame. The Army was directed to report to Congress on potential alternative technologies by the end of 1993, and to include in that report: "any recommendations that the National Academy of Sciences makes ..." In June 2007, the disposal program achieved

3354-474: The Copyright Act that now govern U.S. Government work were enacted in 1976 as part of the Copyright Act of 1976 . The House Report to the enacted legislation stated that "the basic premise of section 105 of the bill is the same" as section 8 of the former title 17. Section 403 of the 1976 Act introduced a new provision concerning documents consisting preponderantly of one or more government works. In essence, such works would be denied copyright protection unless

3440-480: The FAR general data rights clause (FAR 52.227-14), the government has unlimited rights in all data first produced in performance of or delivered under a contract, unless the contractor asserts a claim to copyright or the contract provides otherwise. Unless provided otherwise by an Agency FAR Supplement, a contractor may assert claim to copyright in scientific and technical articles based on or containing data first produced in

3526-470: The Government, either separately or in a public document, of any material in which copyright is subsisting shall not be taken to cause any abridgment or annulment of the copyright or to authorize any use or appropriation of such copyright material without the consent of the copyright proprietor." The committee report on the bill that became the Act of 1909 explains that the savings clause was inserted "for

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3612-567: The Industrial age. It was not until the 19th century that the modern conception of chemical warfare emerged, as various scientists and nations proposed the use of asphyxiating or poisonous gases. So alarmed were nations that multiple international treaties, discussed below, were passed – banning chemical weapons. This however did not prevent the extensive use of chemical weapons in World War I . The development of chlorine gas , among others,

3698-539: The Nazis did extensively use poison gas against civilians in the Holocaust . Vast quantities of Zyklon B gas and carbon monoxide were used in the gas chambers of Nazi extermination camps , resulting in the overwhelming majority of some three million deaths. This remains the deadliest use of poison gas in history. The post-war era has seen limited, though devastating, use of chemical weapons. Some 100,000 Iranian troops were casualties of Iraqi chemical weapons during

3784-559: The SDC completed Factory Acceptance Testing at the Dynasafe workshop in Kristinehamn, Sweden. The SDC was assembled and installed at BGCAPP in 2016. In May 2018, EDT technicians brought the air filtration system online for the first time. In July 2018, construction substantially completed and testing began on EDT plant equipment in remote operations mode. In February 2019, a total of 24 B586 conventional munitions were processed in

3870-497: The State. Such copyrights for the benefit of the State were sustained by the courts. Two cases before 1895 may also be noted with regard to the question of the rights of individual authors (or their successors) in material prepared for, or acquired by, the United States Government. In Heine v. Appleton , an artist was held to have no right to secure copyright in drawings prepared by him as a member of Commodore Perry's expedition, since

3956-446: The Static Detonation Chamber as part of systemization activities. On June 7, 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber, now called the Static Detonation Chamber 1200, entered the operations phase with the successful destruction of the first mustard agent-filled munition. On September 4, 2021, the final mustard 155mm projectiles in Kentucky were destroyed in the Static Detonation Chamber 1200. On October 25, 2023, after being retrofitted with

4042-531: The U.S. government. Their works therefore fall under § 105 and lack copyright protection. Certain works, particularly logos and emblems of government agencies, while not copyrightable, are still protected by other laws that are similar in effect to trademark laws. Such laws are intended to protect indicators of source or quality. For example, some uses of the Central Intelligence Agency logo, name, and initialism are regulated under

4128-484: The United States Government, or any reprint, in whole or in part, thereof". Prior to the Printing Act of 1895, no statute governed copyright of U.S. government works. Court decisions had established that an employee of the Federal Government had no right to claim copyright in a work prepared by him for the Government. Other decisions had held that individuals could not have copyright in books consisting of

4214-585: The chemical agents are quickly distributed over a wide range. The long term impacts of this wide-scale distribution are unknown, but known to be negative. In the Vietnam War of 1955–1975, a chemical weapon called agent orange was widely used by United States forces . The United States utilized agent orange as a type of 'tactical herbicide', aiming to destroy Vietnamese foliage and plant life to ease military access. This usage of agent orange has left lasting impacts that are still observable today in

4300-399: The copies or phonorecords embodying any work or works protected under this title". Unlike works of the U.S. government, works produced by contractors under government contracts are protected under U.S. copyright law . The holdership of the copyright depends on the terms of the contract and the type of work undertaken. Contract terms and conditions vary between agencies; contracts to NASA and

4386-706: The depot. In 2020, the decision was made to not use the supercritical water oxidation system and instead ship the nerve agent hydrolysate to a permitted treatment, storage and disposal facility. The neutralization method consisted of the following steps: After an X-ray assessment of the mustard munitions stockpile showed that the agent had significantly solidified in the rounds—making removal of mustard agent from projectiles difficult using neutralization—ACWA decided to explore use of Explosive Destruction Technology (aka Explosive Demolition Technology, Explosive Detonation Technology, EDT) for these projectiles. EDT uses heat/pressure from explosion or just heat to destroy munitions; it

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4472-425: The drawings belonged to the Government. In Folsom v. Marsh , where a collection of letters and other private writings of George Washington had been published and copyrighted by his successors, the purchase of the manuscripts by the United States Government was held not to affect the copyright. The contention of the defendant that the Government's ownership of the manuscripts made them available for publication by anyone

4558-444: The federal government purchased former U.S. President James Madison 's manuscripts from his widow, Dolley Madison , for $ 30,000. If this is construed as covering copyright as well as the physical papers, it would be an example of such a transfer. Works by certain independent agencies, corporations and federal subsidiaries may not be considered "government works" and may, therefore, be copyrightable. For instance, material produced by

4644-448: The freezing point to −13 °F (−25.0 °C). Higher temperatures are a bigger concern because the possibility of an explosion increases as the temperatures rise. A fire at one of these facilities would endanger the surrounding community as well as the personnel at the installations. Perhaps more so for the community having much less access to protective equipment and specialized training. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted

4730-405: The law to make the use of a copyright notice optional on copies of works published on and after March 1, 1989 and also revised Section 403. After the adoption of this act, a copyright notice was no longer necessary to secure copyright protection. Including the notice, however, does continue to confer certain benefits, notably in the challenging a defendant's claim of innocent infringement, where

4816-599: The likely consequences of chemical warfare in tropical conditions; little was known of such possibilities at that time. Some chemical agents are designed to produce mind-altering changes, rendering the victim unable to perform their assigned mission. These are classified as incapacitating agents, and lethality is not a factor of their effectiveness. Binary munitions contain two, unmixed and isolated chemicals that do not react to produce lethal effects until mixed. This usually happens just prior to battlefield use. In contrast, unitary weapons are lethal chemical munitions that produce

4902-603: The main plant, are classified as agent-contaminated secondary waste. The SDC 2000 and SDC 1200 both are estimated to continue operations until early 2025 as part of the plant's closure phase. Closure is the final phase of the project, coming after chemical weapons destruction operations have been completed. Closure encompasses planning, preparation and disposal of agent-contaminated and non-contaminated secondary waste; facility and equipment decontamination; and decommissioning and demolition of facilities in accordance with public law and U.S. Army direction. In addition, personal property

4988-535: The main plant. It continues to use it to destroy agent-contaminated secondary waste such as containerized, drained rocket warheads, which will continue into the plant's closure phase. In September 2021, after the final mustard munition was destroyed at BGCAPP, the original SDC, now known as the SDC 1200, began a changeover process. On October 25, 2023, it began destroying drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent. The containerized rocket warheads, which previously had been drained in

5074-414: The milestone of reaching 45% destruction of the chemical weapon stockpile. The Chemical Materials Agency  (CMA) releases regular updates to the public regarding the status of the disposal program. On July 7, 2023, the program completed destruction of all declared chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are said to "make deliberate use of the toxic properties of chemical substances to inflict death". At

5160-551: The military acronym NBC (for nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare). Weapons of mass destruction are distinct from conventional weapons , which are primarily effective due to their explosive , kinetic , or incendiary potential. Chemical weapons can be widely dispersed in gas, liquid and solid forms, and may easily afflict others than the intended targets. Nerve gas , tear gas , and pepper spray are three modern examples of chemical weapons. Lethal unitary chemical agents and munitions are extremely volatile and they constitute

5246-502: The nineteenth century much of the public printing for the States was done under contract by private publishers. The publisher would not bear the expense of printing and publishing, however, unless he could be given exclusive rights. To enable the State to give exclusive rights to a publisher, a number of States enacted statutes providing that court reporters or other State officials who prepared copyrightable material in their official capacity should secure copyright in trust for or on behalf of

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5332-711: The outreach office closed in April 2024 as part of overall BGCAPP closure activities, the BGCAPP outreach staff continues to respond to inquiries, provides information to stakeholders and guest speakers for civic groups, and interfaces with the governor-appointed Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission and its Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army 37°43′02″N 84°12′28″W  /  37.7171°N 84.2077°W  / 37.7171; -84.2077 Chemical weapon A chemical weapon ( CW )

5418-525: The parties would abstain from using projectiles "the object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases". The Washington Naval Treaty , signed February 6, 1922, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, aimed at banning chemical warfare but did not succeed because France rejected it. The subsequent failure to include chemical warfare has contributed to the resultant increase in stockpiles. The Geneva Protocol , officially known as

5504-489: The performance of a contract and published in academic, technical or professional journals, symposia proceedings, or the like. The express written permission of the Contracting Officer is required before the contractor may assert or enforce the copyright in all other works first produced in the performance of a contract. However, if a contract includes Alternate IV of the clause, the Contracting Officer's approval

5590-550: The present Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program. Historically, chemical munitions have been disposed of by land burial, open burning, and ocean dumping (referred to as Operation CHASE ). However, in 1969, the National Research Council  (NRC) recommended that ocean dumping be discontinued. The Army then began a study of disposal technologies, including the assessment of incineration as well as chemical neutralization methods. In 1982, that study culminated in

5676-417: The public domain. For example, government publications may include works copyrighted by a contractor or grantee; copyrighted material assigned to the U.S. Government; or copyrighted information from other sources. Further, the copyright status of works by subnational governments of the United States is governed by its own set of laws. The first Federal statute concerning copyright in government publications

5762-405: The public policy rule was copyrightable; and that the employee who prepared such material on his own could secure copyright therein. There appears to be no court decision before 1895 dealing directly with the question of whether the United States Government might obtain or hold copyright in material not within the public policy rule. But the question did arise with respect to State Governments. In

5848-442: The question of proper notice may be a factor in assessing damages in infringement actions. Under the revised Section 403, these benefits are denied to a work consisting predominantly U.S. Government works "unless the notice of copyright appearing on the published copies or phonorecords to which a defendant in the copyright infringement suit had access includes a statement identifying, either affirmatively or negatively, those portions of

5934-426: The reason that the Government often desires to make use in its publications of copyrighted material, with the consent of the owner of the copyright, and it has been regarded heretofore as necessary to pass a special act every time this was done, providing that such use by the Government should not be taken to give to anyone the right to use the copyrighted material found in the Government publication". The Sections of

6020-429: The remaining BGCAPP facilities were completed in 2010. In June 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber began destroying mustard agent-filled projectiles. In January 2020, the BGCAPP main plant facility began destroying nerve agent-filled projectiles. The last munition was destroyed July 7, 2023. The destruction schedule exceeded the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention deadline of April 29, 2012. The U.S. subsequently made

6106-467: The required copyright notice included a statement specifically identifying those parts of the work that were not U.S. Government work, and therefore subject to copyright protection. According to the House Report, this provision was aimed at a publishing practice that, while technically justified under the present law, has been the object of considerable criticism. In cases where a Government work

6192-401: The right to distribute to the public, but for " commercial off the shelf software", the government typically obtains no better license than would any other customer. The federal government can hold copyrights that are transferred to it. Copyright law's definition of work of the United States government does not include work that the government owns but did not create. For example, in 1837,

6278-557: The selection of incineration technology, which is now incorporated into what is known as the baseline system. Construction of the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System  (JACADS) began in 1985. This was to be a full-scale prototype facility using the baseline system. The prototype was a success but there were still many concerns about CONUS operations. To address growing public concern over incineration, Congress, in 1992, directed

6364-487: The sovereign territory of 86 States Parties since April 1997. Worldwide, 4,732 industrial facilities are subject to inspection under provisions of the CWC. In 1985, the United States Congress passed legislation requiring the disposal of the stockpile chemical agents and munitions consisting of over 3 million chemical weapons, adding up to 31,000 tons of chemical weapons needing to be disposed of. This

6450-447: The start of World War II it was widely reported in newspapers that "entire regions of Europe" would be turned into "lifeless wastelands". However, chemical weapons were not used to the extent predicted by the press. An unintended chemical weapon release occurred at the port of Bari . A German attack on the evening of December 2, 1943, damaged U.S. vessels in the harbour and the resultant release from their hulls of mustard gas inflicted

6536-436: The text of Federal or State court decisions, statutes, rules of judicial procedures, etc., i.e., governmental edicts and rulings. Copyright was denied on the grounds of public policy: such material as the laws and governmental rules and decisions must be freely available to the public and made known as widely as possible; hence there must be no restriction on the reproduction and dissemination of such documents. While copyright

6622-538: The two forms that have been weaponized and are ready for their intended use. The U.S. stockpile consisted of 39% of these weapon ready munitions. The final of the three forms is raw agent housed in bulk containers. The remaining 61% of the US stockpile was stored in this manner. Whereas these chemicals exist in liquid form at normal room temperature, the sulfur mustards H and HD freeze in temperatures below 55 °F (12.8 °C). Mixing lewisite with distilled mustard lowers

6708-472: The types of organisms present in the soil, making it difficult to assess and predict safety. Spills of persistent agents, such as sulfur mustards , can remain harmful for decades. There are three basic configurations in which these agents are stored. The first are self-contained munitions like projectiles, cartridges, mines, and rockets; these can contain propellant or explosive components. The next form are aircraft-delivered munitions. Together they constitute

6794-667: The unique properties of the chemical agent weaponized . A lethal agent is designed to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opposing force, or deny unhindered use of a particular area of terrain. Defoliants are used to quickly kill vegetation and deny its use for cover and concealment. Chemical warfare can also be used against agriculture and livestock to promote hunger and starvation. Chemical payloads can be delivered by remote controlled container release, aircraft, or rocket. Protection against chemical weapons includes proper equipment, training, and decontamination measures. Simple chemical weapons were used sporadically throughout antiquity and into

6880-408: Was about 2% of the nation's original chemical weapons stockpile. BGCAPP used neutralization to destroy the majority of the stockpile and Static Detonation Chamber units to augment the main plant. Destruction of this stockpile was a requirement of the Chemical Weapons Convention , an international treaty to which the United States is a party. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

6966-497: Was awarded in June 2003 to a joint venture team composed of Bechtel National, Inc., and Parsons Corporation . The Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass team was contracted to design, construct, systemize, and operate and close BGCAPP. In March 2005 the design-build-operate-close schedule was extended to make the program more affordable on an annual basis. Site preparation work and the construction of support buildings continued and final designs for

7052-400: Was denied in the text of court decisions, material added by a court reporter on his own – such as leadnotes, syllabi, annotations, indexes, etc. – was deemed copyrightable by him, although he was employed by the government to take down and compile the court decisions. These cases may be said to have established the principle that material prepared by a government employee outside of the scope of

7138-553: Was denied. The Printing Law of 1895, which was designed to centralize in the Government Printing Office, the printing, binding, and distribution of Government documents, contained the first statutory prohibition of copyright in Government publications. Section 52 of that Law provides for the sale by the Public Printer of "duplicate stereotype or electrotype plates from which any Government publication

7224-615: Was ordered because a timely and safe disposal of chemical weapons is far safer than chemical weapon storage. Between the years of 1982 and 1992, the United States army reported approximately 1,500 leaking chemical weapons munitions, and in 1993 a 100-gallon chemical spill was reported at the Tooele Army Depot in Utah consisting of mustard agents . Chemical decomposition in soil is affected by many factors, such as temperature , acidity , alkalinity , meteorological conditions, and

7310-521: Was the Printing Law enacted in 1895 . Section 52 of that Act provided that copies of "Government Publications" could not be copyrighted. Prior to 1895, no court decision had occasion to consider any claim of copyright on behalf of the Government itself. Courts had, however, considered whether copyright could be asserted as to the text of laws, court decisions, governmental rules, etc., and concluded that such material were not subject to copyright as

7396-935: Was used by both sides to try to break the stalemate of trench warfare . Though largely ineffective over the long run, it decidedly changed the nature of the war. In most cases the gases used did not kill, but instead horribly maimed, injured, or disfigured casualties. Estimates for military gas casualties range from 500k to 1.3 million, with a few thousand additional civilian casualties as collateral damage or production accidents. The interwar period saw occasional use of chemical weapons, mainly by multiple European colonial forces to put down rebellions. The Italians also used poison gas during their 1936 invasion of Ethiopia . In Nazi Germany, much research went into developing new chemical weapons, such as potent nerve agents . However, chemical weapons saw little battlefield use in World War II. Both sides were prepared to use such weapons, but

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