No payoffs in VX wastewater disposal plan, DuPont says

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

Published: Monday, November 27, 2006

MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP ’Äî There's no truth to the rumors that DuPont is trying to buy off objectors to a controversial plan for disposal of a lethal nerve agent's waste, according to the chemical company.

The two organizations that asked for funding from DuPont last week in connection with the VX waste disposal project are "two isolated groups," DuPont spokesman Anthony Farina said. They are not indicative of a pattern, he said.

DuPont officials haven't made a decision yet on whether to fund a request by Rutgers University's Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory for oyster research. There's also no decision on Maurice River Township Committee's pitch for DuPont's financial backing for a boardwalk at Thompsons Beach.

In fact, DuPont still hasn't decided whether to partner with the U.S. Army on the major project, Farina said. If it does, DuPont's Chamberworks plant in Salem County would receive, treat and dispose of waste water from neutralized VX trucked in from an Indiana weapons depot. The treated waste water would then be dropped in the Delaware River.

Decision or not, the situation looks bad to some critics. Although the Haskin lab has never objected to the project -- director Eric Powell said months ago he thought the Army plan would have minimal impact on Delaware Bay aquatic life -- the Maurice River government has vocally opposed the plan. The board changed its position at least in part because of the promise of DuPont funding, according to township committee members.

"We've been hearing rumblings that DuPont has been going around offering incentives to communities and organizations in order to secure their support to bring VX nerve agent (waste) to the Chamberworks," said Tracy Carluccio of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. "This is bad public policy. A decision should be made on its merits."

"I think it exposes a seamy side of DuPont's efforts and makes us wonder who else they're approaching to entice," Carluccio added, implying DuPont might be doing the same at higher levels of government. "When you hear a story like this, you wonder: How far does it go?"

Farina said there's no such effort by DuPont. He said Maurice River officials presented the idea to DuPont, not the other way around, during conversations.

The news that Maurice River Township Committee members had changed their minds in part because of the potential for funding support caught the Army Chemical Material Agency's spokesman off guard. He said he wasn't aware of any ongoing discussions.

Farina said one of the projects proposed by the Haskin lab is similar to an aquatic life monitoring program recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

DuPont has spoken to more than 80 community organizations about the project.

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