Downe
passes
2nd resolution opposing VX disposal in Del.
Saturday, June 24,
2006
By JEAN JONES
Staff Writer
DOWNE TWP. -- Another
presentation by
Dupont and the U.S. Army was given at the Downe Township Committee
meeting
Wednesday, but the crowd was small compared to previous such meetings.
That was because the public was
unaware of
it. When asked why there had been no public notification, Mayor Harry
Wilson
said he had learned of it only on Monday.
The township previously had
passed a
resolution opposing the dumping by Dupont of wastewater resulting from
the
final processing of VX nerve gas into the Delaware River and bay.
Wednesday's
presentation didn't change any minds. At the request of the public, the
township committee will draft another resolution, still opposing the
plan.
Col. Jesse Barber said the
material to be
trucked to Dupont's Deepwater plant from Newport, Ind., would be 85
percent
water, 11 percent salts and the rest organics. The VX would have been
neutralized and residual phosphorous would be removed by Dupont.
Since Downe is a bayshore
community and
many of its residents are engaged in water-related businesses, their
questions
were based on concerns about the safety of the plan and possible
unforeseen,
long-term effects of discharging the effluent into the Delaware River.
Several
people who had attended previous presentations elsewhere were present
and
repeated their concerns. Suggestions ranged from incineration to
shipping the
material to Mexico for disposal.
"I'm sure there are companies
down
there that would be glad to take it," said one resident.
Barber said no contract has
been signed
with Dupont. A final decision on whether it will be awaits a review of
the
findings of the Centers for Disease Control and the state Department of
Environmental Protection.
In other business, Wilson
reported that he
had recently attended a meeting with several other mayors and DEP
Commissioner
Lisa Jackson. He said he had told her of the township's problems with
tax-exempt land and she was very receptive to his comments.
Committeeman
Chester Riland expressed disappointment that he was not invited to the
meeting,
since he has been working for more payment in lieu of taxes for
tax-exempt land
for two years while he was mayor.
"Green Acres is taking more and
more
and our tax base is getting smaller and smaller," Riland said. "I
would like to have had a heads up on that ... for two years I was back
and
forth to Trenton. I feel hurt that I wasn't included."
Wilson said the notice he
received for the
meeting asked for the mayor to attend. Wilson also reported on other
meetings
he has attended, concerning the possible closing of Bridgeton
Hospital's
emergency room overnight and fees for the services of state police
Resident Liz Cowley suggested
that on
issues where both had made contacts they work together to provide the
township
with a stronger position.
A stormwater ordinance was
adopted after a
public hearing without comment, and an ordinance setting fees for
copies of
documents under the Open Public Meetings Act was introduced by title
only.
The next meeting of the
township committee
will be a workshop meeting on July 10. Action on the resolution
opposing the
dumping of VX effluent into the Delaware River is expected to take
place at
that time.