Napalm Readied for Shipment by Rail to Indiana
The first batch of 23 million pounds of Vietnam War-era napalm was being prepared for shipment to Indiana for a controversial recycling project, the Navy said Saturday.
The napalm fuel mixture will be drained from canisters and transported by rail to East Chicago, Ind., so it can be recycled into an alternative fuel to be burned in special kilns used by the cement-making industry. Crews began work Friday.
“This begins the final phase of the project,” project manager Bob Schard said in a statement. “Over the next two years the Navy will be providing these materials and components for processing and conversion to energy and raw materials through the recycling process.”
Pollution Control Industries in East Chicago won a $2.5-million contract for the project, which has triggered protests from lawmakers in Illinois and Indiana over possible public safety and environmental risks.
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