Defense Environment Alert
an exclusive biweekly report on defense policies for cleanup, compliance and pollution prevention


Vol. 11, No. 24--December 2, 2003


ARMY AGAIN DELAYS START OF VX NEUTRALIZATION AT INDIANA FACILITY

The Army recently announced it will delay neutralization activities at its Newport, IN, chemical weapons stockpile site because it has not yet finalized how it will treat the secondary waste from VX nerve agent. This is the second announced delay this year.

"We will continue to explore any available means to accelerate the destruction of the Newport stockpile without compromising our commitment to do so safely," Newport site project manager Jeff Brubaker said in a Nov. 13 Army press release. "Until we have decided on a path forward, we will not speculate on a date for agent operations to begin."

In August, the Army said it was postponing a planned Oct. 1 startup date for neutralization by several months because of problems with consistently destroying the bulk VX agent to Army specifications, and because it needed several months to install additional fire safety measures. The Army at that time estimated it could begin neutralizing the bulk VX at Newport in January 2004 (Defense Environment Alert, Aug. 26, p9).

But the January start date was contingent on plans to transport the neutralization byproduct, known as hydrolysate, for disposal at a commercial facility in Ohio. That plan was halted last month when local officials in Ohio said they would not issue the necessary permits for the commercial facility, and the Army's prime contractor at the Newport site terminated its subcontract with the Ohio facility (Defense Environment Alert, Oct. 21, p5). The actions followed significant community opposition to destroying the waste at the Ohio facility.

The Army originally planned to neutralize the bulk VX agent at the Newport site using a sodium hydroxide process, and also treat the resulting hydrolysate on site. But following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Army explored ways to speed agent disposal, including using a subcontractor to treat the hydrolysate off site.

In the Nov. 13 press release, the Army says it "has been working aggressively to reevaluate options for hydrolysate treatment and final disposal, and determine a path forward that applies the most effective resources and technologies." The Army's contractor, Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group Inc., is reviewing proposals from general subcontractors to design, fabricate and install storage tanks at Newport, which would allow Parsons to begin neutralizing the VX and then store it until a final disposal option is determined.

The Newport facility is continuing with its systemization activities while the Army makes a final decision on hydrolysate treatment and disposal. "With the exception of a few details, construction [of the neutralization facility] is finished," Brubaker said. "We are about 50 percent complete with systemization tests, and will continue with those activities while we work the hydrolysate disposal issue."