TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wants to settle a decades-long lawsuit against BASF, the current owners of the Ciba-Geigy Superfund Site, one of America’s worst toxic disasters on record. That deal includes setting aside 225 acres of land to be developed at the site.
The remaining 1,000 plus acres would be turned into a passive recreation area with walking trails and ammenities.
It’s a plan Rodrick blew the whistle on years ago, and was called a liar by former Mayor Tom Kelaher after he spilled the beans on a township plan to allow the site to be turned into what he called a ‘small city’.
At the time, Kelaher said Rodrick, “Has taken lying and fear-mongering to a new low. He has conjured up a story of massive residential development at the Ciba-Geigy site. This outrageous statement is more than mere political exaggeration: it is an outright lie that has resurrected painful memories of the cancer-cluster scare of the mid-1990s.”
Now, that plan is a reality as Governor Murphy wants to allow BASF to build on 225 acres of the superfund site as part of a settlement agreement. Rodrick says the entire site needs to be remedied and preserved and BASF needs to continue taking responsibility for the damages that have been done.
Rodrick, who is the Republican Party nominee for mayor in November has made his stance clear, he does not want any development at Ciba Geigy and wants to see the entire property turned over to the state to become a new Wildlife Management Area.
On October 3rd, Save Barnegat Bay (SBB) and Toms River Township contested the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) settlement agreement with BASF regarding the Ciba-Geigy Superfund site.
SBB and their expert team identified discrepancies in NJDEP’s evaluation of environmental damages, particularly in Ocean County areas like Toms River, Barnegat Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Kirkwood Cohansey Aquifer. The department overlooked off-site restoration in the settlement, focusing solely on projects at the Superfund site. This includes a conservation easement that contravenes Toms River’s zoning regulations.
The Toms River Master Plan, drafted while Hill was a member of the board, allows for residential and commercial development at the site. Now, Hill is fighting to stop the 225-acre cutout, a change from his previous stance on the project.
Both entities are now challenging the NJDEP’s decision, aiming to procure funds for ecological recovery projects in adversely impacted Ocean County towns.
To document this ongoing dispute, SBB has partnered with Monmouth University Production Studios for a documentary, with a brief preview available at the provided link.