Parsons requests OK to begin destruction of VX

Government review of Newport operations scheduled next week

By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star

September 28, 2004

The Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility is ready to safely destroy nerve agent VX, according to an official with the contractor hired by the Army for the job.

John Stewart, project site manager for Parsons Technology, Inc. sent a letter to the Army last week requesting permission to begin neutralization.

Neutralization won't begin immediately. The government has the letter from Parsons and will review it and its supporting documents, said Jeff Brubaker, Army project site manager. He said when the government concurs with Parsons, a letter will be sent to Chemical Materials Agency headquarters requesting permission to start operations.

Another government review of operations begins next week, Brubaker said.

In the letter to James Mars, Army administrative contracting officer, Stewart wrote:

" ... Parsons certifies that the NECDF construction and testing is complete, that we have conducted tests and demonstrations that verify safe and effective operations, that the personnel are appropriately trained, qualified and certified, and that these personnel can safely and in an environmentally compliant manner, operate the facility in accordance with the approved project procedures and in compliance with the Limiting Conditions of Operations as of 28 September 2004. Parsons hereby requests permission to begin operations."

A slow startup plan was developed that allows the Army to verify plant performance during the initial operations before increasing destruction rate, Brubaker said Sept. 15.

Parsons is the contractor the Army hired to design, build and operate the nerve-agent neutralization facility that is expected to destroy 1,269 tons of the VX stockpiled at the Newport Chemical Depot since it was manufactured in the 1960s.

The byproduct of VX neutralization is expected to be 4 million gallons of a caustic chemical soup (hydrolysate) that requires further treatment before disposal. The Army's preferred method of disposing of the hydrolysate is to transport it to a commercial hazardous waste water treatment plant, such as DuPont Chambers Works Plant in New Jersey, and pay DuPont to treat and dispose of the hazardous waste.

But New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania residents have objected for environmental reasons. Environmental organizations, including The Clean Air Council of Delaware, Green Delaware, and The Delaware Riverkeepers, vow to fight against DuPont dumping a treated form of VX hydrolysate in the Delaware River.

The Army is waiting for a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its review of the Army's plan to haul transport the hazardous waste from Newport to New Jersey for final treatment and disposal.

"The Army is committed to waiting for the Centers for Disease Control report before making any final decision regarding the caustic waste water disposal," Col. Jesse Barber, program manager for the Elimination of Chemical Weapons wrote Sept. 13 to a New Jersey lawmaker who opposes the plan.

He said the letter from Parsons verifies that 190 recommendations made after tests were done in August are completed.

"This letter is an acknowledgment by Parsons that they have closed all recommendations and findings identified during the tests," Brubaker said.

In next week's government review, inspectors with chemical-agent experience will be checking chemical-agent destruction safety, medical areas safety and physical security, among other things, he said. He said any recommendations made by the MEGA Team of Inspectors also must be corrected before he writes CMA headquarters for permission to start operations.

Over the past two years, there have been many delays in the Army's schedule to destroy VX.

Last month, Brubaker said he expected neutralization to begin later this year. Both Brubaker and Barber have said continued storage of the nerve agent poses the greatest risk to the public.

If for any reason the hydrolysate can't be shipped to a commercial treatment site, the Army has the ability to neutralize the VX and store it in special containers until an alternative treatment is selected by the Army, both Brubaker and Barber have said.

Patricia Pastore can be reached at (812)231-4271 or pat.pastore@tribstar.com