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NEWS DIGESTS

VX Mistakes

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) determined U.S Army cost estimates to ship VX nerve agent waste to New Jersey "were not reliable." The report said the impact of those figures was the Army's claim it would save significant money by shipping the VX waste to a DuPont facility in Deepwater over three alternatives was in question. GAO reports the Army's figures were unreliable due to "the quantity and magnitude of errors, quality control weaknesses, and questionable or inadequate supporting source data and documentation." The report instructs the Army to go back to square one. The plan to ship VX waste was stopped when DuPont notified the Army it was no longer interested in the contract.