HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Delaware, NJ

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection filed suit Thursday against Monsanto for “extensive damage” caused by PCB contamination, citing “reckless long-term discharge of” polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) statewide and noting pollution from a company facility in Gloucester County on the Delaware River.

State officials allege that Monsanto “knew decades ago that exposure to PCBs was potentially harmful to human and animal health.” The civil suit filed in Superior Court in Woodbury, Gloucester County, seeks unspecified damages.

It alleges that PCBs made by Monsanto “have caused significant, long-term damage to New Jersey’s surface waters, groundwater, soil and air, as well as fish, birds, and other wildlife.”

PCBs are man-made chemical compounds that, before they were banned in the 1970s, were used to make lubricant, caulk, ink, dye, coolants, and industrial equipment including capacitors and transformers.

The lawsuit says 6,000 miles of river, 14,000 acres of lakes, and 400 square miles of bays and estuaries in New Jersey have been damaged by PCB contamination.

The state’s Attorney General’s Office, which filed the suit, also named Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC as defendants. Officials say the three companies, beginning in the late 1990s, took on parts of the overall business once operated under what the suit dubs “Old Monsanto.”

Representatives for the companies could not be reached immediately for comment.

“Our continuing commitment is to hold polluters and their corporate successors accountable for the kind of reckless, unconscionable conduct we allege in today’s complaint,” acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. “PCBs contamination has harmed natural resources and threatened the health of humans and wildlife in every corner of New Jersey, from remote rural areas to suburban neighborhoods, to our cities.”

DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said, “We are calling on Monsanto to finally repair this damage and leave our natural resources better than when Monsanto PCBs found them.”

The state is seeking compensation under what’s known as a Natural Resource Damage claim that allows the federal and state governments to recover the cost of damage to the environment.

Part of the claim revolves around Monsanto’s former 461-acre Logan Township facility bordered by U.S. Route 130 and the Delaware River in Gloucester County. There, it disposed of waste for nearly two decades into unlined landfills. It also stored waste in lagoons. Stormwater from the site continues to flow into the river.

“For decades, Old Monsanto knew that its commercial PCB formulations were highly toxic and would inevitably produce precisely the contamination and human health risks that have occurred,” the suit states. “Yet Old Monsanto misled the public, regulators, and its own customers about these key facts, maintaining that its PCB formulations were safe, were not environmentally hazardous, and did not require any special precautions for use or disposal.

Monsanto manufactured, marketed, and sold PCBs from 1929 to 1977, mostly under the trade name Aroclor, and was responsible for nearly all PCBs used or sold within the U.S., state officials said.

The DEP said that studies “have shown a correlation between PCBs and liver damage, thyroid problems, skin irritation, susceptibility to respiratory infection and other immune system issues, memory and learning deficits — particularly in infants and children — reproductive problems, and certain cancers.”

PCBs also impact wildlife, including thinning of eggshells and lowering reproduction in birds and turtles.

The suit alleges Monsanto’s operations and disposal methods in Bridgeport resulted in PCB contamination of the Delaware River and Birch Creek. It also alleges that other toxic chemicals, including benzene, chlorobenzene, toluene, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, also contaminated the water, in violation of several state laws created to control pollution. The EPA has been involved in a cleanup at the site.

Authorities say that the company knew of the effects of PCBs as far back as the 1930s and in the 1950s, even advised workers not to eat lunch in the PCB department. They also say the company medical director “openly declared that ‘we know Aroclors are toxic.’”

Further internal company communication in the late 1960s showed that Monsanto officials acknowledged the potential for “massive contamination” by PCBs in New Jersey and elsewhere, noting a document that refers to potential for “nearly global” contamination and environmental harms. However, the document concluded that “there is too much customer/market need and selfishly too much Monsanto profit” to stop making PCBs.

At some point, the suit alleges, Monsanto recommended that customers dispose of PCB waste directly into sewers and vent vapor into the atmosphere. The company sold at least 38 million pounds of PCBs to various customers throughout New Jersey.

Monsanto has a complex history. It, and the other two companies referred to as “Old Monsanto.” have been purchased by other companies.

Monsanto was bought by Bayer in 2018. Bayer, though not named in the New Jersey suit, noted in its most recent annual report that it has been dealing with PCB-related lawsuits and reached a nationwide class action settlement in 2020 with 2,500 municipalities across the U.S. for $650 million, as well as other suits settled with various states. Suits filed by Pennsylvania, Oregon, Delaware and Maryland over PCBs are pending, and a “relatively small number of other states are expected to follow,” the annual report states.

Pharmacia, which is named as successor to Old Monsanto, is owned by Pfizer.

And Solutia is owned by Eastman Chemical Co.

Seven states are preparing to send out direct payments to their residents to provide inflation relief as Americans struggle to pay the rising costs of food, gas and housing.

Here are the states which will be sending out stimulus payments to their residents as soon as this month.

Delaware

In May, Delaware began sending “relief rebate” payments of $300 to taxpayers who filed a return in 2020 due to a budget surplus.

Most Delaware residents received these payments in May, and couples filing jointly can get $300 each. The state government is continuing to send these payments out throughout the summer.

Residents can check the status of their rebate online here.

Florida

In July, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that 59,000 low-income families in the state would qualify for a one-time payment of $450 per child.

According to Newsweek, the stimulus is being distributed through the Florida Department of Children and Families to residents “who receive one of the following services through the department:

Families that qualify for the benefit do not have to apply as the payments are automatically being mailed out.

Georgia

Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to give out rebate payments of $250 for single filers, $375 for heads of household and $500 for those filing jointly.

This stimulus package also came from a budget surplus in the state.

The Georgia Department of Revenue has been giving out these rebates since May, but the agency has been anticipating delays due to the amount of refunds.

According to the department website, the agency will issue most refunds by early August for all tax returns filed by April 18 of this year.

Hawaii

Residents whose income fell under $100,000 in 2021, or $200,000 for joint filers, will receive a $300 tax rebate this year. Dependents will also be eligible for the rebate. For those residents making more than $100,000, or $200,000 for joint filers, they will receive a one-time $100 check.

Payments will be mailed out as soon as late August, according to Hawaii’s Department of Taxation.

Indiana

Beginning in May, Indiana began sending $125 payments to all residents regardless of income. According to The Indianapolis Star, this is part of the state’s automatic taxpayer refund law.

Gov. Eric Holcomb is also urging state lawmakers to up the stimulus package by $225.

Minnesota

Frontline workers in Minnesota qualify to receive a one-time payment of $750. Checks began going out late July, but applications for this stimulus were due by July 22.

New Mexico

In early March, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved a measure that would give residents $250 for earning less than $75,000 a year and a $500 rebate for all residents.

The $250 rebates were issued in July while the $500 rebate will be sent in two payments — one occurred in June, and the other will occur this month.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected]. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.

Environmental groups are soliciting help as they prepare to fight a proposed warehouse development along the Delaware River.

For three years, Jaindl Land Co. has pitched the controversial project, called the 519 Commerce Center, in Warren County’s White Township. Two warehouses totaling 2.6 million square feet are proposed on 580 acres on Foul Rift Road between Route 519 and the river.

The project will come up for a hearing with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection next week.

First, on Wednesday, a virtual meeting to discuss environmental concerns is planned by the Delaware Riverkeepers Network, the New Jersey Highlands Coalition and the local opposition group Citizens for Sustainable Development. The Zoom session is scheduled for 6 p.m. (Information on how to access the meeting is available on the Riverkeepers website.)

The DEP will hold a virtual public hearing on a portion of the project at 10 a.m. Aug. 5, where it will solicit input from residents and other stakeholders. Written comments are accepted through Aug. 20 via email at [email protected] or by mailing the DEP at PO Box 420, Mail Code 501-02A, 501 East State St., Trenton, N.J. 08625.

Among the questions already raised by the Riverkeeper Network: How will tens of thousands of gallons of sewer runoff affect local water quality? Will it exacerbate sinkholes? Will stormwater and fuel find its way into the Delaware River?

A Jaindl attorney did not return requests for comment this week. Representatives have previously said the project will adhere to all local, state and federal environmental requirements, and will set aside 219 acres for agriculture and 10 acres along the river for recreation.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

The Delaware River crossing between Trenton and Morrisville in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was costly for some drivers in recent months as some were charged $9 at the toll.

The correct toll is $1.25 at the Route 1 bridge, but from February to early July an electronic reader in the right E-ZPass-only lane would "sporadically" charge $9 as it misclassified passenger vehicles, including cars, SUVS, van and pickup trucks, as larger vehicles that pay more, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission that owns and operates the span.

The agency is in the process of getting motorists refunds for overcharges, it said in a statement on its website.

"The problem initially appeared to be confined to SUVs, vans, pickup trucks, and cars with higher profiles, but further investigation reveals that misreads might have occurred intermittently with any type of Class 1 vehicle," the statement read.

Joseph Donnelly, the commission's deputy executive director of communications, said Saturday while officials don't know how many vehicles were impacted, they know it was not all that passed through on the bridge.

"It's mostly SUVS and pickups and vans and then there are the cars with certain profiles," he said. "It's not every car and not every class going through that particular lane. It didn't have any consistent fashion or pattern to who was being misclassified. It took some time to figure out what was going on out there."

He said the E-ZPass reader was struck by flatbed truck carrying crushed vehicles, and eventually the commission was alerted to the problem when customers started calling about overcharges.

The reader was switched out July 7 and since then there doesn't appear to be any problems, Donnelly said.

But, the commission still has questions.

"We're doing a forensic investigation into these overcharges to identify who was overcharged .. It is a rather tedious process. We're still drilling down on it and when we have more answers we will be providing more information," Donnelly said."

The commission is asking drivers who used that lane to check their E-ZPass accounts for overcharges, and are directing those with claims to contact the commission or their state's E-ZPass administrator.

"Our intent is to make good with customers," Donnelly said.

More:Trenton-Mercer Airport is expanding. How big could it get with flights over Bucks County?

New Jersey E-ZPass customers can contact the commission directly for refunds at 1-800-363-0049. Drivers should "be prepared to provide detailed information about respective overcharges." Customers can also email detailed information to [email protected]. The phone line is staffed during the week, but callers can also leave a message for a call back.

Non-NJ E-ZPass system drivers, including those with passes from Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, need to contact those states' respective E-Z Pass agencies. Call customer service and have your account information ready

Pennsylvania 877-736-6727

Delaware 888-397-2773

New York 1-800-333-TOLL (8655)

"Commissions staff cannot provide refunds to accounts that are not in the New Jersey E-ZPass Group’s database," the statement read.

Twelve members of New Jersey’s first Pathways to Apprenticeship (P2A) class are presently working to complete LIUNA’s 80-hour General Construction Course, the introductory safety and skills training required of all new apprentices before being dispatched to work for the union’s signatory employers. All training is offered by ANSI-accredited instructors at LIUNA’s Monroe Township-based facility. As always, training is offered to members free-of-charge through the union’s Construction Craft Laborers Training and Apprenticeship Fund of New Jersey and Delaware (CCLTAF NJ/DE), the joint labor-management fund of LIUNA in New Jersey.

To follow are remarks on apprenticeship training, P2A, LIUNA, and the opportunities available to, and expectations of, the 12 graduates of New Jersey’s Pathway to Apprenticeship:

Raymond M. Pocino, LIUNA Vice President & Eastern Regional Manager:

“LIUNA provides the construction industry’s most diverse and versatile workforce. We work on everything from the largest building projects to upgrades and maintenance of a neighborhood’s service lines. Union Laborers are employed on New Jersey’s most ambitious renewable energy projects, transportation programs, and environmental remediation projects. The work of growing skills and creating new opportunities may start with P2A but for Union Laborers, it never ends.”

Wayne Richardson, NJ P2A Director & Laborers Local 55 President:

“The progress of our first P2A class is encouraging and though their P2A journey may be drawing to a close, their careers in the construction industry are just beginning. Construction is a competitive industry, performed in dangerous environments. Through our apprenticeship program, we work to provide men and women with the world-class safety and skills training needed so that they and their employers can succeed.”

Joseph DeMarco, Jr., NJ Construction Craft Laborers Apprenticeship Program (CCLAP) Director:

“The construction and utilities industries account for more than 170,000 good paying jobs in New Jersey and LIUNA’s federally registered apprenticeship program helps build a skilled and job-ready workforce for employers, while also providing a pathway to a successful career for our members.”

Donald Howard, CCLTAF NJ/DE Director:

“Our diverse membership comes from all walks of life and every part of New Jersey and is unified in their belief in unionism and their responsibility and commitment to support each other. Here at the Training Center, they can safely learn the skills they need to stay competitive and employable. And, because it’s negotiated through our collective bargaining agreements, all of this accredited and certified training is provided to our members completely free of charge.”

***

NJ P2A is a non-profit organization committed to helping individuals from underrepresented communities gain admittance into the various registered building trades apprenticeship programs. NJ P2A’s intensive five-week training prepares participants for the union application process. They receive prepatory instruction for the program’s work keys assessment in math and reading comprehension. NJ P2A instruction also covers the personal and professional traits that propel people toward a successful career in the union construction industry.