U.S. Army Plans to Begin VX Neutralization at Newport With or Without a Byproduct Disposal Plan

The U.S. Army said yesterday it will move ahead with its planned destruction of VX nerve agent at an Indiana chemical depot, while Delaware lawmakers passed a resolution opposing the final phase of the plan calling for further VX treatment in New Jersey and disposal of the chemical byproducts in the Delaware River, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 25).

Neutralization will begin at the Newport Chemical Depot in about two months, even if the waste disposal plan falls through, said Col. Jesse Barber, a project manager for the Army Chemical Materials Agency.

He said the Army could store the byproduct at the Indiana site as an alternative to the disposal plan (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 1).

Meanwhile the Delaware state Senate passed a resolution yesterday opposing the treatment and disposal plan, according to The News Journal.

Members of the Delaware and New Jersey congressional delegations on Monday requested a formal review of the Army’s plan by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has commented on the proposal but has not conducted an independent study (The News Journal/Delaware Online, April 1).

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