Between the period of 1943 and 1969 the United States began amassing chemical weapons. They were held in a retaliatory capacity in case they were needed to either ward off others from using such weapons or to use them in the event that a nation actually employed them. During the 1950s, the United States Navy conducted Operation: CHASE (Cut Holes And Sink 'Em) in which barrels of obsolete or unstable chemical agents were simply taken out and dumped into the ocean. Open pit burnings of chemical agents were also performed. Following public outcry over these disposal methods the chemical agents were stored at eight different installations in the U.S., and one of these installations was the Lexington Blue Grass Army Depot (LBAD). The military planned to begin incinerating the weapons at this site which caused a major uproar within the community of Madison County over the terrible environmental as well as physiological impacts which could be accrued in the event of a weapon accident at the depot.

The Concerned Citizens of Madison County (CCMC) emerged in coalition with Common Ground in order to persuade the government to reconsider the practice of incineration in such a populated area. CCMC was founded in 1984, and Common Ground was founded in 1987. CCMC was composed of Richmond citizens, and their objective was to provide public input for the decision making process and to gain support from local officials. Common Ground was made up of Berea citizens, and they operated on a national scale by gaining expert, scientific input to counter Army statements which stated that the incineration process was relatively safe and reliable and would not impose a significant threat upon the community. They also went about lobbying political figures to gain support. In 1991, the Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF) formed out of these two organizations and allied with any other organization that had similar concerns over weapon storage, demilitarization, or disposal of chemical weapons in their community. The KEF is also concerned with hazardous waste release from other sources such as a coal-fired power plant or toxic industries.