Official:  VX destruction to start in May
Pentagon grants final approval for process

By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star
Story created Apr 07, 2005 - 09:15:04 CDT.

Destruction of VX nerve agent at Newport will begin in May, an Army official said Wednesday after the Defense Department cleared the final hurdle for the destruction.

"The Department of Defense officials notified Congress late Tuesday that the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility is ready to begin destroying 1,269 tons of the deadly nerve agent VX stored at the Newport Chemical Depot," said Col. Jesse Barber, project manager for Alternative Technologies and Approaches.

"The earliest start date is May 5 and the latest we plan to start is May 15. I plan to be ready to go May 5," Barber said.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh reacted to the announcement with a statement: "Destroying the VX at Newport will remove one of the most dangerous potential terror targets in Indiana, ensuring that Hoosiers will be able to sleep soundly without the fear of potential attack at Newport," Bayh said. "The Hoosiers in West Central Indiana have lived with the threat of VX for more than 30 years. In 30 days, that threat will begin to disappear."

Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz signed the Congressional notification letter that informed Congress of the Pentagon's intent to begin neutralization at Newport. The letter provides Congress with the legal requirement of at least 30 days notice before neutralization can begin.

All other steps required for the start of VX neutralization have cleared. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Citizens Advisory Commission and the county commissioners from Vermillion County all have signed off on the neutralization plan.

The required 45-day lockdown of the Newport Chemical Agent Destruction Facility started in February and will be completed in April.

It will take 21/2 years to destroy the VX at this site, Jeff Brubaker, Army site project manager, has said. The destruction facility will be shut down three times during the neutralization process for scheduled maintenance, Brubaker said.

"We have learned from other operations to do maintenance work regularly, before it becomes necessary," he said. "The number one priority for the whole operation is to neutralize the VX as safely as possible."

Donna Hollingsworth and her family live on the perimeter of the Newport Chemical Depot. She always has felt safe and secure while knowing one tiny drop of VX can kill an adult.

"I've lived here 27 years," Hollingsworth said. "I came here as a bride. I have never, ever, been afraid. I have faith in God and I trust the Army. The Army has guarded this nerve-agent stockpile for 30 years without incident. We can't live in fear. When you live in fear, you let the enemy win. I'm not afraid of the Army managing the neutralization of VX. I feel more safe here than if I lived in Clinton. I feel comfortable with Commander Scott Kimmell in charge of the depot."

Barber said until the Army determines what will be done with the 3 to 4 million gallons of VX hydrolysate, a byproduct of VX neutralization, it will be stored in containers at the depot.

Off-site treatment at a commercial hazardous waste treatment plant is still the Army's preferred method of final treatment and disposal, Barber has said.

Newport has the capability of storing about six months worth of VX hydrolysate, said Terry Arthur, Army spokeswoman. More storage tanks can be added, she has said.

It is uncertain if DuPont Chambers Works Secure Environmental Plant in New Jersey can meet the requirements to further treat the hydrolysate and make the hazardous waste safe enough to dump into the Delaware River, as has been proposed.

DuPont's plan has met opposition in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

VX will be destroyed according to the terms of the International Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty, Barber said. He said the international group charged with overseeing treaty compliance, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, also was notified of the Army's intent to begin agent destruction operations.

The OPCW will have an inspection team on-site during the destruction operations to confirm destruction of the chemical, he said.

Patricia Pastore can be reached at (8122) 231-4271 or pat.pastore@tribstar.com.