As an owner/operator of a working farm and animal rescue/sanctuary in North Jersey, I am deeply disappointed with the cleanup of the Passaic River, which has been polluted for decades due to various industrial and commercial activities.
Seven years after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected a cleanup plan, and the agency recently announced it had reached a potential settlement with polluters to clean up the waterway, I was genuinely excited that progress was finally being made.
Sadly, I was wrong. The EPA is allowing 85 of the 100 companies responsible for the pollution to collectively pay a mere $150 million of the $2 billion cleanup. That’s a drop in the bucket.
I have a hard time believing that taxpayers won’t ultimately be on the hook for some of the remaining outstanding balance.
As someone whose livelihood relies on a clean environment, I hope that common sense prevails in this case and all parties responsible for polluting the Passaic River be held responsible for cleaning it up.
Colleen O’Dea
Newton
Editor’s note: O’Dea owns Bear Brook Feather Friends Sanctuary and Rescue.