Bureaucratic Bombshell: USEPA Quietly Approved NJ DEP Deregulation of Cleanup Of PFAS Groundwater Pollution At Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund Site In Milford NJ

Are PFAS In Groundwater Discharging Into Adjacent Delaware River?

EPA Provides “Corrected” Agenda Less Than 1 Hour Prior to Public Meeting

[Correction: apologies. The prior version of this post had a major error in the title! My brain said “Curtis Specialty” but my fingers mysteriously typed “Crown Vantage”. The error has been corrected.]

I’ve written multiple posts critical of the cleanup of the Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund Site in Milford NJ, along the Congressionally designated “Wild and Scenic” Delaware River for over a decade, see (with many photos of the site):

• EPA Crown Vantage Landfill Superund Site Cleanup Plan Proposed (2011, related to Curtis Specialty)
• Does This Superfund Site Look Ready for Redevelopment? (2012)
• EPA to Hold Public Meeting On Crown Vantage and Curtis Paper Superfund Sites
• EPA Curtis Specialty Superfund – Is The Priority Site Cleanup or Redevelopment?
• EPA Puts Corporations In Charge of Superfund Cleanup Science
• Curtis Specialty Superfund Site In Milford NJ – A Deadly, Toxic, Eye Sore – Nears Demolition Phase
• EPA Adds Insult To Injury At Curtis Specialty Superfund Site in Milford, NJ
• EPA Finally Schedules Demolition Of Deadly Smoke Stacks At Curtis Specialty Superfund Site in Milford, NJ

Many of those criticisms focused on groundwater contamination and potential discharges to the Delaware River and the resultant injuries to natural resources.

Although I haven’t been involved on the site during our 5 year western tour, I remain on the EPA’s “Community Advisory Group” (CAG) email distribution list.

My apologies to readers, especially the folks in Milford, if I missed the discovery of PFAS in groundwater. When was it found? How high are the levels? Is there discharge to the Delaware?

During this 5 year period, the issues related to PFAS have exploded in the grassroots activist community and gotten enormous media coverage. NJ DEP has been portrayed as a leader in strict regulation, especially at NJ Spotlight by reporter Jon Hurdle.

The Burlington County Times even created the false impression that DEP was enforcing PFAS cleanup requirements at McGuire AFB and wanted EPA to enforce them at Curtis Specialty:

[NJ DEP] Pedersen wrote the office again in April, roping PFAS in with several other state-regulated chemicals that he wanted the EPA to prioritize at contaminated sites under federal control. Pedersen even offered an example, saying there is likely PFAS contamination at the Curtis Paper Superfund site in Hunterdon County, and asked the EPA to sample for the chemicals there.

As we now know, exactly the opposite it the case: DEP just waived compliance with groundwater quality standards (see how they did that below).

I’ve criticized much of that coverage as cheerleading, while ignoring relevant regulatory issues.

So, I was surprised to just now receive an unusual email from EPA Superfund CAG coordinator Pat Seppi providing a “corrected” meeting agenda, sent less than 1 hour before the CAG meeting tonight.

The corrected agenda included this bureaucratic bombshell as “site progress since January 2021”:

PFAS IN GROUNDWATER – CEA/WRA for PFAS approved April 14, 2021

What? How they hell did that happen with no community opposition and media coverage?

I doubt that many people in the community understand what this bureaucratic jargon means – or that it was fully and properly explained to them by EPA and NJ DEP at a formal public meeting and reported by the media – so let me take a quick stab at explanation.

But first, let me provide some background and context.

I) EPA ignored public criticism, including on PFAS risks

First of all, the EPA takes the position that the community supports the EPA’ cleanup, see ROD at page 22:

Here’s how EPA responded to that with evasions: