Opponents of VX waste gather to swell ranks

By DANIEL WALSH Staff Writer, (856) 794-5111

Published: Saturday, September 2, 2006

BRIDGETON -- The American Littoral Society billed Friday's night gathering as an open house to rally opposition to the U.S. Army's plan to dispose of a nerve agent's waste along the Delaware River.

It turned out the open house had open minds as well.

More than 50 people braved heavy rains and winds to gather at the group's Bridgeton office along the Delaware Bay. Many in attendance opposed the Army's plan for disposing of the deadly VX nerve agent's wastewater at a DuPont plant in Deepwater, Salem County.

"We're thinking this doesn't make sense" said Meghan Wren, executive director of the Bayshore Discovery Project. ’ÄúIt's not good for the bay. Regardless of the chemistry of it, the perception of it, it's all just wrong.’Äù

But among those gathered were two longtime commercial fishermen, George Kumor and Scott Sheppard. Four months ago, they were among the most vocal critics of the Army's plan, sharply criticizing it during a public meeting in Port Norris.

"That's because I didn't know that much about it," Sheppard said. "I hadn't studied it. It was a knee-jerk reaction. Then I got a copy of the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) report. I didn't just read it. I studied it. I read it three times."

Sheppard and Kumor changed their minds. They now support the project, after reading the reports on the CDC and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency findings. Neither agency has any more objections about the project, and neither do Sheppard and Kumor.

That led to some interesting conversations Friday, as they engaged with critics of the project.

"Why's it got to come this way?" asked Joe Scarpinato, who runs Dill's Crab and Oyster Bar in Bridgeton, which catered the event for free. "Why can't it stay where it's at"

Where it's at is a weapons depot in Newport, Ind. Critics of the plan have pushed for the Army to treat the wastewater there, rather than truck it to New Jersey. The Army says that's too expensive.

"But so what?" said Matt Blake, a conservation coordinator for the American Littoral society. "That's a smart investment. That's in the public good. That's a good use of tax dollars."

The plan has drawn wide and bipartisan opposition in New Jersey, with several township and county governments formally opposing the plan, along with several Republican and Democratic members of Congress.

All that remains for the Army is for an environmental assessment, under the tenets of the National Environmental Policy Act, and a permit modification allowing DuPont to treat the wastewater. For that, DuPont must go to the state Department of Environmental Protection, and that approval is by no means guaranteed. Once that's done, the project can move forward.

However, that could be delayed further, due to legislative maneuvering by southern New Jersey's congressional delegation, as they push for one more federal review, this one by the General Accounting Office.

"We have invested the last 30 years in cleaning up the bay and river," said Assemblyman Doug Fisher, D-Cumberland, Salem, and Gloucester. "I don't think we need to undo that by dumping in the river."

To e-mail Daniel Walsh at The Press: DWalsh@pressofac.com