EPA Announces Upcoming 2024 PFAS Investigation in Soil
Former Mayor Seeks To Block Release Of EPA Report Prior To Meeting
(Caption: Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund Site on Delaware River, Milford Borough, NJ. Old photo – Buildings have been demolished)
Tonight, the EPA will brief the Milford Borough Community Advisory Group (CAG) in Milford on the status of the cleanup of the Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund site along a Wild And Scenic stretch of the Delaware River.
In an unusual move, the meeting agenda includes opening remarks by Nick Henry, Aide to Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr.
It’s been 3 years since the EPA CAG agenda included PFAS “forever chemicals”, which EPA found at very high levels at the site.
I’ve been critical of EPA’s failure to include PFAS chemicals in the cleanup at the site.
I requested that EPA re-open the remedial investigation, formally consult with US Fish and Wildlife Service, and mandate cleanup, see:
The off site sampling of the Delaware river, sediments, and biota (fish, birds, etc) has been limited, thus, given the river’s Wild and Scenic designation, consultation with US FWS is particularly important.
Last I can recall, the EPA was investigating but had not mandated the cleanup of PFAS. It seems like the new 2024 sampling will be limited to soil.
Yesterday, when I received the meeting agenda via email from EPA, I noticed that it included an update on PFAS cleanup. So, I immediately sent EPA a request to provide EPA reports to be discussed:
Hi Pat – could you send me this Agenda document so I can be prepared at the meeting to ask informed questions:
“Summary of Previous PFAS Investigations”
The former Mayor immediately responded to EPA shut that down and in the process he attacked me personally, see:
On 04/08/2024 1:23 PM EDT Henri Schepens <schepensmilfordboro@gmail.com> wrote:
Mr Wolfe,
Why the need to send a reply all? This meeting is for Milford residents to get updated project information on the site. It is NOT intended to be a soapbox for you to sharpshoot the presentation and agitate the audience as you have done in past meetings.
Henri Schepens
Thus far, EPA has failed to even respond to that request and has not provided the documents I requested, so it looks like EPA is listening to local political arguments.
My reply to Henri Schepens sheds light of the motives operating among some locals:
Henri – The meeting is NOT intended only for Milford residents. It is a US EPA meeting to brief the public on the activities of the federal government.
Your “outside agitator” mentality is, frankly, not only factually in error, but un-American.
I have voiced fact, science, and law based criticism of EPA’s actions at the site. I am an expert with over 40 years of professional experience, not a “sharpshooter” and I use the public arena to inform residents, on a pro-bono basis.
A rational person would assume that residents and local officials would appreciate that kind of independent accountability oriented professional assistance, which is motivated by protection of public health and the environment of your community and residents.
In contrast, some local officials and residents have explicitly voiced concerns for economic development and property taxes. One would think that those views would be rejected as inappropriate to the policy approach to cleanup of a toxic waste site.
Those are the kind of priorities that lead to the tragedies we’ve seen at this site. (including a preventable accidental death we warned about years ago).
I take strong offense to your ad hominem and false and defamatory remarks and offer a chance for you to withdraw them and apologize.
Wolfe
So, if any readers have the time, the meeting tonight is at 6:30 pm, in the Milford Borough firehouse.