Have Ciba-Geigy Plan Comments? You Can Email Them

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has added an email option for submitting comments on the proposed Ciba-Geigy settlement.

The settlement, announced Dec. 6, would turn 1,000 acres of the Ciba-Geigy Superfund site into open space, with passive recreation including hiking trails, and an environmental education center.

The NJDEP said the proposed settlement to restore property damaged by decades of industrial pollution and illegal dumping at the site was reached through a negotiated settlement with BASF Corp., successor to Ciba-Geigy Corp. Read more:Ciba-Geigy Site Settlement Would Preserve 1,000 Acres As Open Space

The initial announcement only provided a U.S. Postal Service mailing address for comments on the proposal, but the NJDEP announced a revision to that on Friday, adding the email option.

In announcing the revision, NJDEP officials said the comment period has been extended to 60 days, from the original 30 days. Comments now must be submitted by Feb. 3, 2023.

Commenters can send their remarks to onrr@dep.nj.gov. Include your name and use Ciba-Geigy Settlement in the subject of your email.

To submit written comments by mail, send them to:

David Bean, Chief, Office of Natural Resource Restoration, NJDEP
501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-03, PO Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.

Comments must be submitted by Feb. 3, 2023.

The proposed settlement agreement can be read here.

Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill said the town is submitting formal comments urging NJDEP officials to make sure the area's cancer cluster history is not forgotten but instead included as part of the environmental center. Read more: Ciba-Geigy Settlement Can't Overlook Cancer Cluster: Toms River Mayor

Information about the ongoing EPA-led remediation at the Ciba-Geigy site can read here.

Read more about the Ciba-Geigy site:

• Reflections On 'Chemical Town'
• Book Explores Toms River's Toxic History With Industrial Pollution
• Ciba-Geigy Corp. Proposes Multimillion-Dollar Settlement

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