Fairview Park council against letting VX waste be moved through town

By Patricia L. Pastore/>Tribune-Star

April 15, 2004

The council in a Vermillion County town 12 miles south of the Newport Chemical Depot has passed a resolution opposing the transportation of VX hydrolysate through the community.

The town of Fairview Park is divided by Indiana 63, a major four-lane highway that runs by the depot.

After a lengthy discussion Tuesday, four of the five members of the Town Council voted for the resolution and one abstained, said Teresa Baker, town clerk/treasurer. She said James Hall, the council member who abstained, cited a conflict of interest since he is employed at the depot.

Council member Norma Snedeker made the motion to adopt the resolution with councilman David Crane seconding it and Larry Natalie, council president, and council member Tonya Smith voting for passage, said Leonard Akers of Fairview, who attended the meeting.

Safety is the council members' main concern.

At the depot, the Army plans to neutralize 1,269 tons of the deadly nerve agent VX beginning in June. During the neutralization process, VX is mixed with water and sodium hydroxide, which is expected to produce about 2 to 4 million gallons of a toxic, caustic, hazardous chemical waste that requires further treatment before final disposal.

The Army plans to truck the VX hydrolysate to a commercial hazardous waste treatment plant, possibly DuPont in Deepwater, N.J., about 750 miles away.

Akers said there have been numerous traffic accidents at Indiana 63 and the town's First Street intersection.

"If there were to be a spill, it might affect the town's water supply, which is near the highway, and the South Vermillion High School complex, which is also close to Indiana 63," Baker said. "I mailed a copy of the resolution to acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee. It is a nonbinding resolution because we can't regulate a state highway."

The town took a stand to let the Army know its concerns about VX hydrolysate transportation, Akers said.

The resolution also said, "the impact of the hydrolysate on the town of Fairview Park, Indiana and other Vermillion County communities is uncertain; and "... DuPont has not developed public acceptance of the disposal plan."

DuPont's 350-page report and analysis on its planned treatment of VX hydrolysate demonstrated it can be treated safely without harming people or the environment, said Todd Owens, a DuPont chemical engineer.

Natalie, the Town Council president, did not return phone calls Wednesday afternoon.

Pat Pastore can be reached at (812)234-6815 or pat.pastore@tribstar.com