The Christie Administration ignored the advice of a leading expert in handling the cleanup of the Fenimore Landfill, according to a newly released email.
Since the state took over the property last summer, residents have been asking the state to truck away debris that was making them and their kids sick.
The state has said its experts agree that would be a mistake, but there is now evidence that that's not completely true.
Last fall, the state reached out to a leading expert at Rutgers for advice. His reply, which was forwarded to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, says, "The long term solution appears to be leaning toward a permanent cap, but our assessment is there should be a staged removal of the material at the landfill".
The DEP ignored the advice. "All this happened under Governor Christie's watch and it's really sad what has happened here," says Bob Schultz, of the Roxbury Environmental Action Committee. "And we need this whole thing investigated and [to] get to the bottom of it."
The DEP says it has no comment on the Rutgers email but says it has studied the situation carefully and believes capping the site is still the best option.
The state took over the Fenimore Landfill last summer after a Kane In Your Corner investigation revealed serious problems with a development project there.