| Living near one of the most notoriously polluted sites in the nation, the former Ciba-Geigy Chemical plant in Toms River, Assemblyman Paul Kanitra is all too familiar with its long-lasting detrimental impacts to the health of residents, wildlife and the environment. Decades after the plant closure, many locals still do not have a full accounting of the damages or remediation plans.
Kanitra is planning to introduce legislation to increase transparency following toxic spills and the resulting settlements before the state agrees to its terms.
“Residents of Toms River and the surrounding communities have been exposed to toxic pollution for decades. Children got cancer. Drinking water became contaminated. People are still coming to grips with the sheer magnitude of the damages,” Kanitra (R-Ocean) said. “It is hard to move forward when residents feel like they are in the dark regarding plans to restore the environment and recover losses.”
Ciba-Geigy has admitted to dumping hazardous substances into the Toms River and the Atlantic Ocean, and burying 47,000 drums of toxic waste into the ground, polluting groundwater. The state reached a settlement with BASF, the corporate successor to Ciba-Geigy, last year. Toms River and the environmental group Save Barnegat Bay are suing the state to overturn the settlement that they call inadequate.
“Save Barnegat Bay deserves a lot of credit for their tireless efforts to create a cleaner environment and fight for restoration projects that will best serve the community and ecosystem. They are being stifled by the state’s lack of transparency. My legislation serves to assist the experts who have boots on the ground in New Jersey’s communities by ensuring they will have more input into plans to protect the environment,” Kanitra said.
Currently, under New Jersey’s “Spill Compensation and Control Act,” the state Department of Environmental Protection must publish a summary of the proposed settlement, including monetary payments, 60 days prior to it being approved. Kanitra’s legislation builds on that law by requiring the DEP to also include a link to a damage assessment report and restoration plans if the settlement includes natural resource damages.
“I believe everyone wants what is best for the communities recovering from devastating pollution, but the state needs to be more cooperative and transparent so we can achieve an acceptable resolution and create a cleaner and better future,” Kanitra said. |
