Editorial
Posted on Fri, Dec.
22, 2006
Groups challenge chemical byproduct shipping
ARMY'S TRUCKING PLAN VIOLATES LAW, SUIT CLAIMS
STAFF, WIRE REPORT
TRENTON, N.J. - Environmental and other watchdog groups in Kentucky and three other states have filed a federal lawsuit to try to stop the U.S. Army from trucking the byproduct of a deadly chemical weapon to New Jersey, where it would be treated and dumped into the Delaware River.
The complaint claims the Army's plan to transport the byproduct of neutralized VX nerve agent from Indiana violates a federal law banning interstate movement of chemical weapons.
The suit, filed in federal district court in Washington on Wednesday and made public by the plaintiffs yesterday, also challenges the Army's assessment of the impact the proposed project would have on the river.
The complaint was filed by several groups, including the Chemical Weapons Working Group based in Berea, Ky., and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. It seeks to force the Army to complete an environmental impact statement before the project moves forward.
"We're challenging this toxic threat, and we're also challenging future toxic threats," said Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum.
Tons of chemical weapons -- including VX, sarin and mustard agent -- are stored in bunkers at Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond.
The Army plans to treat the wastes resulting from the destruction process at the depot, but it has not ruled out transporting them elsewhere.
Members of the local Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board have discussed the issue twice and decided not to endorse transport of wastes, said Craig Williams, director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, a coalition of citizen groups from stockpile sites throughout the country.
"Nobody wants this stuff shipped through their area, and nobody wants to receive it, treat it and ultimately discard it," Williams said. "And we don't feel like it's a legitimate posture to dump your trash on somebody else. ...
"Say New Jersey wanted to send chemical warfare agent waste to Kentucky, securing it someplace and then dumping it into the Kentucky River. How would you feel about that?"
Army spokesman Jeff Lindblad said he was aware of the lawsuit but would not comment on pending litigation. He did say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no safety issues with the transport of the byproduct in a 2005 report, and that the Environmental Protection Agency determined this year the dumping would not harm the river's plant or animal life.
The General Accounting Office is reviewing the Army's cost-benefit analysis of the project, Lindblad said.