Current:Home > BackNew Jersey OKs slightly better settlement over polluted land where childhood cancer cases rose-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
New Jersey OKs slightly better settlement over polluted land where childhood cancer cases rose
View Date:2024-12-23 19:08:57
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has accepted a revised settlement over chemical dumping that turned parts of a Jersey Shore community into one of America’s most notorious toxic waste cleanup sites, but opponents say the deal is only marginally better than before and plan to sue the state to block it.
The deal adds slightly more protected land and financial compensation for the public over damage to natural resources in and around Toms River, a community that saw its rate of childhood cancer cases increase. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday it finalized the settlement with the German chemical company BASF for decades of dumping by BASF’s corporate predecessor, Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corp.
However, a group representing residents and environmentalists says the new deal is “vastly inadequate, by several orders of magnitude.”
The revised final settlement with BASF increases a cash payment from the company from $100,000 to $500,000, adds another 50 acres of company-controlled land to a conservation and public access plan, and obligates BASF to maintain nine restoration projects outlined in the original agreement for 20 years, up from 10 years in the original deal. The company must also restore wetlands and grassy areas; create walking trails, boardwalks and an elevated viewing platform; and build an environmental education center.
The DEP said the settlement is designed to preserve approximately 1,000 acres of the former industrial site onto which Ciba-Geigy dumped toxic chemicals from dye-making and other operations. It is designed to protect groundwater in perpetuity, and compensate the public for the damage to that resource.
Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corp., which had been the town’s largest employer, flushed chemicals into the Toms River and the Atlantic Ocean, and buried 47,000 drums of toxic waste in the ground. This created a plume of polluted water that has spread beyond the site into residential neighborhoods. It made the area one of America’s most prominent Superfund sites, joining the list of the most seriously polluted areas in need of federally supervised cleanup.
The state health department found that 87 children in Toms River, which was then known as Dover Township, had been diagnosed with cancer from 1979 through 1995. A study determined the rates of childhood cancers and leukemia in girls in Toms River “were significantly elevated when compared to state rates.” No similar rates were found for boys.
Residents and environmental groups quickly dismissed the revised deal as not much better than the original one, which they also decried as woefully inadequate.
“Really, nothing has changed, other than now we’re going to court,” said Britta Forsberg, executive director of the environmental group Save Barnegat Bay. They’re one of many groups pushing the state to insist on significantly better compensation given the historic harm that occurred at the site and in neighboring communities.
“They never put a value to the damage caused to our land, our river, our bay, our ocean, our wildlife or our habitat,” Forsberg said.
Ciba-Geigy, which was charged criminally, has paid millions of dollars in fines and penalties on top of the $300 million it and its successors have paid so far to clean up the 1,250-acre (506-hectare) site — an ongoing effort with no end in sight. BASF, the successor company to Ciba-Geigy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the revised deal.
DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette has said the settlement is not designed to punish anyone, and emphasized that BASF remains obligated to completely finish cleaning up the site under the supervision of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
In 1992, Ciba-Geigy paid $63.8 million to settle criminal charges that it illegally disposed of hazardous waste, and it and two other companies reached a $13.2 million settlement with 69 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer.
BASF took over the site in 2010, two decades after plant operations ceased, and emphasizes that it did nothing to contaminate the site.
The company is pumping almost a million gallons a day from the ground, treating it to remove contaminants, and discharging it back into the ground. About 341,000 cubic yards (261,000 cubic meters) of soil has been dug up and treated at the site — enough to fill 136,400 pickup truck beds.
___
Follow Wayne Parry at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
veryGood! (7861)
Related
- The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
- Mariah Carey is going on a Christmas music tour: How to get tickets for One and All! shows
- Jamie Lynn Spears Reacts to Her Dancing With the Stars Elimination
- Tired of spam? Soon, Gmail users can unsubscribe with one click
- Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
- Mississippi city’s chief of police to resign; final day on Monday
- Migrant deaths more than doubled in El Paso Sector after scorching heat, Border Patrol data says
- It's dumb to blame Taylor Swift for Kansas City's struggles against the Jets
- Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
- Firefighters work until dawn to remove wreckage of bus carrying tourists in Venice; 21 dead
Ranking
- Judith Jamison, a dancer both eloquent and elegant, led Ailey troupe to success over two decades
- Google packs more artificial intelligence into new Pixel phones, raises prices for devices by $100
- Remains of Ohio sailor killed during Pearl Harbor attack identified over 80 years later
- What to know about Elijah McClain’s death and the criminal trial of two officers
- Shaboozey to headline halftime show of Lions-Bears game on Thanksgiving
- Mega Millions heats up to an estimated $315 million. See winning numbers for Oct. 3
- Gunbattle at hospital in Mexico kills 4, including doctor caught in the crossfire: Collateral damage
- FIFA set to approve letting Russian youth soccer national teams return to competition
Recommendation
-
Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally
-
Proof Travis Kelce Is Fearless About Taylor Swift Fan Frenzy
-
Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is the leader of the House, at least for now
-
Jamie Lynn Spears eliminated in shocking 'Dancing With the Stars' Week 2. What just happened?
-
10 Trendy Bags To Bring to All of Your Holiday Plans
-
Love Island UK's Jess Harding and Sammy Root Break Up 2 Months After Winning Competition
-
Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is the leader of the House, at least for now
-
The $22 Cult-Fave Beauty Product Sofia Franklyn Always Has in Her Bag