Newport Chemical Depot nearly finished in VX disposal

Posted: July 23, 2008 05:22 PM
Updated: July 23, 2008 06:24 PM

NEWPORT, Ind. (WTHI) - During the cold war this rural corner of west central Indiana produced thousands of tons of the toxic nerve agent VX for the government.

Since 2005 the same area has been dismantling the VX due to an international treaty.

"We are on the forefront of destroying VX which is a weapon of mass destruction," Jeffrey Brubaker, the site project manager said.

"Back in 1969, President Nixon halted the transportation of VX, leaving 1,200 tons of the nerve agent at this depot.

It kept workers busy, but now the end is almost here.

"We have destroyed over 98 percent so we are down to our last approximately two percent," Brubaker said.

In the next couple of weeks that, two percent of VX will be neutralized and on it's way out of this area.

"Once we complete the agent destruction we will transition into what we call the closure phase," Brubaker said.

That means, nearly a thousand jobs will be lost in the coming years.

"Replacing a thousand jobs in vermillion county is going to be a very long very difficult process," Ed Cole of the Vermillion County Development Council said.

While the Newport Chemical depot is leading the way in destroying their stockpile of the nerve agent VX, community leaders will continue trying to fill the void this depot will soon leave behind.

Report by Jane Santucci, WTHI