HILLSBOROUGH -The removal of 2,615 metric tons of mercury stored at the General Services Administration depot has turned into years of false deadlines, delayed promises and an ongoing waiting game, municipal officials said.
And now, township officials say the Defense Logistics Agency's time is up.
During Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting, Mayor Anthony Ferrera announced that the township has authorized its attorney, Albert Cruz, to bring legal against the Defense Logistics Agency in an effort to compel the agency to implement its 2006 impact plan and record of decision. Both documents had called for the consolidation of all the nation's mercury -- stored in Hillsborough, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana --be transported to the remote Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.
In Hillsborough, the mercury has been stored at the Route 206 site since the early 1950s but didn't become the focus of attention until 2000, when municipal officials discovered 210 additional tons of mercury were being trucked to Hillsborough from a supply depot in Binghamton, N.Y.
"Hillsborough has now been more than patient," Ferrera told the public Tuesday night. "The federal government promised the mercury would be moved. At this point, I believe we need to bring legal action that pressures the federal government to keep their promise."
In addition, Township Committee members want Congressman Mike Ferguson, R-New Providence, to attend the next scheduled Township Committee meeting on Sept. 23 and provide answers.
In February 2007, Ferguson said during a public meeting that the mercury would be trucked to Nevada by the end of that summer, even though Nevada's then-Gov.Kenny Guinn indicated he would fight any plans to move the stockpile to his state.
"Up until Nov. 4 rolls around, he is still Hillsborough's congressman," Committeeman Bob Wagner told the public Tuesday night. "I feel he owes an explanation or an update." According to Nevada Department of Environmental Protection and the Defense National Stockpile Center officials, crews have wanted to take their time to ensure the mercury is moved safely and securely to the Nevada Army Depot. Steve Surface, the center's director of material management, had said the goal was to have the mercury shipped to Nevada by May 2008 -- nearly five months ago.
"Hillsborough is fed up with the stalling tactics," Ferrera said. "We want the mercury moved."
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