EPA to Host Community Meetings On Toxic Dioxin Laden Sludge

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a community meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, 2025, to discuss ongoing and future activities for the Lower 8 Miles of the Passaic River and the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site and the Newark Riverside Industrial Park. The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Waterfront, a prominent sports, arts, and recreational facility located at 2 Grafton Avenue in North Newark.

This upcoming session follows a highly attended meeting in Harrison, NJ, on August 27, 2024, which saw significant public engagement and concern over the EPA’s plans to establish a toxic sludge plant and a river debris collection point on the PSE&G property adjacent to the Harrison PATH station. Residents from nearby luxury apartment buildings like Steelworks, The Vermella, Cobalt Lofts, and The Wyldes voiced thoughtful questions and concerns. The rapid development of additional modern apartment buildings in the area has heightened community interest and scrutiny.

The Observer newspaper, which videotaped the previous meeting, has made the recording available for public viewing through YouTube, providing residents who could not attend a chance to catch up on the detailed discussions that took place.

Drew Curtis, EPA’s Community Engagement Coordinator, is the point of contact for those seeking more information about the upcoming North Newark meeting. He can be reached at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 637-3726.

Future Harrison & Kearny Meetings

In her communications, EPA Project Manager Alice Yeh has committed to additional meetings in the neighboring communities of Harrison and Kearny, NJ, though specific dates have yet to be determined. The agency's engagement strategy aims to ensure that community members have multiple opportunities to engage, ask questions, and express their concerns directly to the EPA staff.

The Lower Passaic River Community Advisory Group (CAG) has also scheduled a meeting for April 21, 2025, promising more details in the near future. This indicates a growing local initiative to involve community stakeholders in the oversight and management of the cleanup efforts.

Mayor Fife Lied About EPA Coming To Harrison

Harrison Mayor James Fife, who is supporting EPA’s plan to bring toxic sludge on land in Harrison, has faced criticism for lying to residents that EPA wasn’t coming to Harrison despite his own statement to the contrary at a Harrison Redevelopment Agency meeting. Mayor Fife’s lying and defaming others in the process has sparked a broader discussion about his administration’s transparency and accountability in local governance. Why would a sitting Mayor who is also the Chairman of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency support bringing toxic sludge on land in a residential community across the street from modern apartment buildings generating over 16 million dollars per year and growing, which matches the property tax paid by property owners in the rest of the town?

What To Expect at the EPA Meeting

The April 8th meeting is expected to include a presentation by the EPA, followed by a question and answer period where the public will have the opportunity to obtain detailed responses directly from the EPA officials in attendance. This event is part of the EPA's ongoing effort to maintain open lines of communication with communities affected by the Superfund sites, ensuring that public health and environmental safety remain priorities in the cleanup processes. It is recommended that you watch (or listen in the background) the video of EPA’s Harrison, NJ, August 2024 meeting to judge for yourself whether EPA’s plan to bring toxic dioxin laden sludge into a residential community in Harrison NJ makes any sense and complies with its mission statement to protect public health.   

Related Articles:

EPA Postpones MeetUp: It Must Reset Its Passaic River Cleanup Plan

Concealment, The Truth & Lies About EPA's Toxic Sludge Plant in Harrison NJ

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