The VX nerve agent that was originally to be sent to New Jersey will now be sent to Texas.
According to the Cape May County Herald, the U. S. Army awarded a $49 million contract to Veolia Environmental Services of Port Arthur, Texas to burn the VX hydrolysate (wastewater) in incinerators.
Many expect environmental groups to protest the contract because the VX wastewater would be transferred over 1,000 miles across public Texas highways. The original location in New Jersey was changed after the Delaware Riverkeeper Network convinced DuPont that transferring the wastewater to their site in New Jersey would be a hazard should there be an accidental spill.
The Chemical Weapons Working Group has already announced that it intends to sue the Army and Violia to prevent transporting the wastewater in Texas.
If the deal goes through, the VX wastewater would be transported by two to six trucks weekly through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and then finally Texas. Each truck can hold up to 4,000 gallons.
Source: Cape May County Herald
