TOMS RIVER, NJ — An information session on the ecological restoration projects planned for the former Ciba-Geigy site is set for Tuesday, what the company says the first step of community engagement on the projects.
The session, which will be held online and conducted through BASF, was announced in December through the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The NJDEP announcement states that the consultation is set for 6:00 p. m. to 7:30 p. m. on Tuesday, January 9. You can register online for the consultation: BASF – Virtual Inshapeation Session 09/01/2024 from 6 p. m. to 7:30 p. m. m. The registration form asks for your name, hometown, email address, and asks you to submit questions they will want answered after the presentation.
“The goal of our briefing is to provide the nine recovery allocation proposals in the form of designs,” said Molly Birman, Senior Director of External Communications at BASF. “This is the first step in our network engagement efforts. There will be a live texting capacity for those who wish to ask questions or comment on our briefing. “
The projects proposed for the site can be viewed in the settlement announcement, here: Ciba-Geigy Settlement Reached: See Plans For Toms River Superfund Site
Birman said all questions submitted before the session and any submitted afterward will be answered. A dedicated email address, [email protected], has been set up for people to submit any questions as they finalize the designs.
BASF is planning an in-person poster consultation on Feb. 28, where others will be able to meet with their team to discuss the projects in more detail, Birman said.
All nine projects are part of the Natural Resource Restoration Regulation finalized by NJDEP and BASF in August 2023, despite protests from Toms River officials, residents, and environmental teams led by Save Barnegat Bay regarding the network’s lack of involvement.
The NJDEP first announced the proposed regulation on Dec. 5, 2022, and gave the network just 30 days, until early January, to read and respond. That comment was later extended after a resounding complaint online, despite Shawn LaTourette’s comments. , the DEP commissioner, left officials and citizens with the confidence that nothing really extensive could replace despite their complaints.
LaTourette, in an interview with Patch, said the natural resource regulation was not intended to punish the company for the moves of previous owners; BASF bought the site long after it was declared a federal Superfund site through the EPA. Read more: Ciba’s draft regulation ‘is not about punishment’: DEP commissioner
Toms River residents and officials say efforts to compensate the network for damage caused to residents’ health and lives are far from enough, while BASF has continued to make copious amounts of cash from the property. Sun protection has been installed for the maximum number of infected people. component of the site, and a portion of the site, about 250 acres, remains in the hands of the chemical company.
LaTourette and NJDEP staff promised Toms River officials and citizens that they would be able to comment on what the projects should look like, but the briefing does not appear to provide an opportunity for comment or after the session.
Save Barnegat Bay and Toms River Township filed an appeal of the settlement in October, asking the New Jersey Court of Appeals to overturn it and calling it a “cherished settlement” that violates the New Jersey Constitution, as well as the Spill Control and Compensation Act, with Toms. River zoning ordinances. Read more: Ciba-Geigy settlement violates local and New Jersey laws, according to the appeal
The full NJDEP announcement reads:
“BASF invites network members and stakeholder teams to receive more information about the nine green recovery projects planned for the assets in an upcoming virtual data session.
Register to sign up with us on January 9, 2024, from 6:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m. at 7:30 p. m. to learn more about how BASF will maintain and repair more than 1,000 acres of land. Your input and feedback play a vital role in the long-term good fortune of those projects.
If you would like to attend, please register here: BASF – Virtual Information Session on 01/09/2024 from 6 p. m. at 7:30 p. m. “
Note: This article has been updated with comments from BASF.
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