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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (41914)	4/9/2004 1:11:24 AM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

Used to live by the Delaware River. Now, will anything. CDC says it will look at Army's VX plan Larry Hajna The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed Thursday to review the Army's controversial plan to send neutralized VX nerve agent from Indiana to New Jersey, where it would be treated and discharged into the Delaware River. New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey and Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner also released a letter asking the Army to reconsider the plan to ship the caustic wastewater, known as hydrolysate, from the destruction of VX stored at the Army's Newport (Ind.) Chemical Depot. In a letter to Les Brownlee, acting secretary of the Army, the governors said they recognized the importance of destroying the nation's chemical weapons. But, "as governors, we share the responsibility for the protection and health of the Delaware Estuary. Our citizens swim and fish in it, our businesses conduct commerce in it." The Army plans to destroy 1,269 tons of the Cold War-era nerve agent and send up to 4 million gallons of hydrolysate, likened to household drain cleaner, to DuPont's Secure Environmental Treatment facility for final treatment and discharge. The governors expressed concern about the lack of published information on the environmental effects of acids on waterways, and that the Army could not provide adequate assurances that the wastewater would not contain minute traces of VX that could be lethal to a major striped bass breeding area. DuPont officials said they would not sign a contract until the CDC completes the review. The company also plans an independent third-party review of the proposal, which could include a study of the impact of treated waste on the Delaware River. The CDC's National Center for Environmental Health agreed to a review of the plan, asking the Army to submit various test results as well as risk and toxicity studies. Congressional leaders in both states requested the review last week. It's unclear how long the review will take. The Army, meanwhile, plans to begin VX neutralization this year and will store about 200,000 gallons of hydrolysate in temporary containers at the Newport Chemical Depot, said Col. Jesse L. Barber, who heads the Army's Chemical Materials Agency. indystar.com lurqer