Missouri Lawmakers Propose Tax Break for Expansion of Nuclear Weapons Facility in Kansas City

A bipartisan group of Missouri lawmakers has proposed a sales tax exemption for materials needed to expand the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) existing campus in south Kansas City. This federal facility, operated by Honeywell International Inc., produces 80% of the non-nuclear parts of the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Proposed Legislation

Democratic Senator Greg Razer informed a Missouri Senate committee that the NNSA plans to add 2.5 million square feet of new facilities and hire thousands of new employees. An analysis of Razer’s bill indicated that the NNSA plans to spend over $3 billion on these Kansas City facilities.

Instead of the government overseeing the construction, a private developer who can expedite the process would undertake the project, according to Razer. The proposed bill would divert almost $61 million in state revenue over a decade, which Razer believes would be offset by job creation from the construction project. Permanent jobs would then yield additional state revenue.

The Legislative Pathway

State Representatives Chris Brown and Anthony Ealy, a Republican and a Democrat respectively, are co-sponsoring similar legislation in the Missouri House. Their bills were combined and passed a House committee unanimously, and Razer’s bill also cleared its Senate committee unanimously.

New Facilities & Job Opportunities

A spokesperson for the NNSA stated via email that the new facilities would house around 4,000 employees, a mixture of existing employees relocated from other facilities and new hires. Since Honeywell moved to the existing campus in 2014, its workload has increased significantly. Hence, the expansion aims to meet the production growth in support of NNSA’s national security mission. Building work is expected to begin this year and continue through the next decade.

Defense or Nuclear Weapons Production?

Kevin Breslin, representing the developer Promontory 150 LLC, highlighted that the federal government had already made an initial appropriation for the 15 buildings planned over the next decade. He noted that the campus employee strength has grown from 3,000 to 8,000 in the past decade, requiring double capacity to accommodate upcoming work. In defense of the facility’s operation, he stated that it “supports the technology that secures those weapons,” as opposed to being a weapons production unit.

Anticipation and Opposition

Although this bill is being lauded for potentially bringing a wave of new jobs to Kansas City, it has faced opposition from environmental and peace-promoting groups, including the state’s Sierra Club chapter and the Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation. They argue against the production of parts for nuclear weapons, citing potential threats to humankind.

In response to these concerns, Razer stated, “We need to modernize this to keep them safe to ensure that accidents don’t happen,” reiterating that the focus is not on producing new weapons but on ensuring the safety of aging ones.