As construction begins on a weapons facility, Pueblo residents point to a history of hazards

PUEBLO, Colo. — Voyager Technologies broke ground on a 150,000-square-foot weapons manufacturing facility in Pueblo, answering to what it describes as an urgent call from the Pentagon to strengthen the nation’s domestic defense supply.

Assistant Secretary of War Michael Cadenazzi said the urgency is “real” for the U.S. Department of Defense because China dominates global manufacturing, leaving the U.S. defense supply chain vulnerable to military shortfalls.

But some Pueblo residents say the project moved forward without their awareness, raising concerns about transparency as a major defense contractor sets up operations on land long tied to the region’s chemical weapons history.

Construction of the new facility — called Voyager American Defense Complex — is underway at PuebloPlex, an industrial park on the former U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot. The depot, built during World War II to store chemical weapons including mustard agents, was officially deactivated in 2024 after two decades of safely destroying its stockpile. Following its closure, the land was transferred to Pueblo County for redevelopment and rebranded as PuebloPlex, though some portions of the property are still pending transfer.

“I don't know that we directly involved residents in this, but sort of indirectly,” said John Chrisman, director of planning and development at PuebloPlex. “So not really formal outreach on this project, which technically wouldn't have been required.” 

Three public meetings were held in Avondale and Pueblo on the overall redevelopment planning process of PuebloPlex — one last summer and two on January 13 and 14 of this year. Voyager Technologies broke ground on a portion of the property two weeks after the final meeting. 

“I have concerns about any large industrial development... particularly one that will be potentially handling significantly toxic and dangerous materials,” said Velma Campbell, a physician in Pueblo and member of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission, a forum created in 1993 for community input on chemical weapons disposal. “So myself and my other community members that are involved in environmental health and environmental justice issues here in Pueblo, we're going to be watching this project.”

According to Voyager Technology's website, the new complex is designed to support “high‑volume production of weapon systems‑enabling components, propulsion systems and assembled energetic grains used across the U.S. military.” The company says it can also house “critical chemical and black powder development” — work supported by more than $39 million in federal funding associated with the project.

While the company has described the facility’s general purpose and activities — including its capacity to handle energetic materials such as fuels, explosives and black powder — details about safety measures remain sparse. In particular, information regarding the chemicals to be used, expected emissions, waste disposal practices, or protections for worker health is not publicly available.

Rocky Mountain PBS made several attempts to speak with Voyager. The company denied our requests.

Although construction has begun at the PuebloPlex site, Estes Energetics — now owned by Voyager — has so far only secured a stormwater permit, according to records provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“Project owners may need permits for dewatering, wastewater discharge, or dredge-and-fill activities affecting state waters. We have not yet issued permits for those activities at the PuebloPlex site,” said Brent C. Temmer, spokesperson for CDPHE. 

The agency also has no record yet of any water quality permits being issued or applied for at the PuebloPlex site.

Contractor-run defense sites often handle hazardous materials requiring strict environmental oversight. For example, the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory — which produces propellants and munitions components — in West Virginia was cited by the EPA in 2021 for a range of violations, including failures in hazardous waste storage, lapses in air emissions monitoring and water discharge permit violations, illustrating the types of regulatory challenges a facility like PuebloPlex could face as operations ramp up.

Under President Donald Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies reduced certain requirements and streamlined permitting processes for faster and more flexible environmental reviews. Last month, Trump’s administration announced final reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act, rescinding more than 80% of its prior procedural regulations that guided how environmental reviews were conducted across agencies since the late 1970s.  

Congressman Jeff Hurd, who supports the new defense site in Pueblo for the jobs it will bring, declined to comment regarding the environmental context surrounding it. He also sent a letter asking the Trump administration to delay the closure of Comanche 2, one of the last coal-fired power plants in Pueblo. Comanche 2’s closure, which was set for December 2025 is now pushed back to December 2026. 

For longtime residents like Campbell, Pueblo’s chemical weapons history raises deep community concern.

“Just because they’re [Voyager] high tech, doesn’t mean they are hazard-free,” said Campbell. “We don't want to trade one hazard for another.”

In the late 1990s, Campbell and her late husband, Ross, became leading voices in a grassroots effort to push the Army toward a safer method for destroying the mustard agent stockpile that had been stored in Pueblo for 70 years. The Army planned to destroy the mustard gas shells by incineration, a method of burning it. Campbell — by then a local member of the Citizens’ Advisory Commission — along with other residents advocated instead for chemical neutralization followed by biodigestion, a method they argued carried fewer environmental and public health risks.

“So for several years, the process of evaluating those various technologies and also discussing what the impacts on the community would be took place in the Citizens Advisory Commission meeting on a monthly basis,” Campbell said. “Communities participated actively in the procurement process.”

In 2002, after community pressure, the Department of Defense chose neutralization followed by biotreatment as its method. In 2023, the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, led by the Bechtel Pueblo Team, safely destroyed 780,000 munitions containing 2,611 tons of mustard gas stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. All three technologies were implemented with extensive local community input, according to Bechtel spokesperson Sandra Romero.

“When you have the public involved from the very beginning of the project, there's a public that’s well informed and they participate… and they oftentimes come out with better solutions,” Campbell said. 

Chrisman, who handles the development of PuebloPlex, said the new defense site is expected to create 120 jobs, the majority of which are high-tech engineer-type jobs. 

“Our whole focus is actually to obtain and retain these jobs and these companies,” said Chrisman. “Per our mission, try to provide that economic engine for the community. We're actually going to be very up front with Pueblo County and have regular conversations with them and just try to loop them in.”

Pueblo resident Curtis Lee Cancino said he didn’t hear about the new Voyager American Defense Complex until they broke ground in January.

“We need real job opportunities around here, not more fast food or retail jobs, nor specialized ones that will be manned by out of town people… and not jobs based on war profiteering,” said Cancino. 

Other Pueblo residents are excited about the job opportunities that will come from the new contract with Voyager. 

“Our community is at a breaking point economically. Voyager Technologies could provide a greater opportunity for the region,” said Pueblo resident Elijah Gonzales. “Many residents feel like our town has been allowed to decline.”