Opinion: NJ town’s feared cancer cluster demands more from officials than belated outrage


By Tony Dearing, NJ.com

Welcome to Keyport, where the furor over chemical contamination and a shocking number of cancer cases has finally reached full force.

Concerned residents flock to town meetings. The governor’s office is up in arms. The state DEP and Department of Health have issued a joint statement. U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th Dist., fired off a letter demanding “urgent” action.

All of which begs the question: where’s everyone been for the past four decades?

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The Captain Renaults of environmental protection in New Jersey profess to be shocked, shocked that pollutants are threatening public health in Keyport.

But c’mon, who are they kidding? The toxic brew of cancer-causing chemicals at the site of the former Aeromarine landfill is no secret. It’s been documented since the mid-1980s.

And all it’s done since then is fester, contaminating groundwater, leaching into a creek that flows to the Raritan Bay — and possibly contributing to a cancer cluster of alarming proportions.

The passivity of the public and the sporadic, ineffective efforts of elected officials, regulators, and the courts to come to terms with this toxic time bomb are hard to comprehend.

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CORRECTED: Woods Hole finds heavy fishing in “twilight zone”

Photo of a Moonfish
Researchers are studying the underreported species in the mesopelagic zone, known as the “twilight zone.” | Photo courtesy of NOAA

By Haley Jones, Seafood Source,

The Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) released a new study finding that industrial-scale fishing has removed “substantial biomass from the ocean’s twilight zone” for several decades, casting doubt on the claim that this ecosystem remains unexploited.  

The study, titled “Hidden in Plain Sight: Decades of Industrial-Scale Fishing in the Ocean’s Twilight Zone,” focuses on the “dark web” species, which WHOI refers to as “a poorly understood group of large midwater fishes” such as pomfrets and snake mackerels. These organisms that live in the mesopelagic zone, which is about 1,000-2,000 meters below the surface, remain largely uncovered in scientific studies and are regularly caught by commercial fisheries, according to the release.

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“Much of the discussion around the ocean twilight zone has assumed large-scale fishing there has not really begun,” Martin Arostegui, lead author of the study and research associate at WHOI, said. “Our study shows that for these larger midwater fishes, that is simply not the case.” 

In the release, the researchers suggest improved catch reporting and a better integration of these species into fisheries management frameworks. With improved data and coordinated policy action for mesopelagic zone fish, those working in fisheries could better understand these species beyond just commercial catch.  

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Panama Canal aims to avoid a repeat of 2023 El Niño drought

By Reuters

PANAMA CITY, May 15 (Reuters) – The Panama Canal is not planning vessel passage restrictions for the remainder of 2026 even if an El Niño weather pattern begins in the second half of the year as predicted, potentially leading to another drought in the Central American country, the waterway told Reuters.

The canal linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is currently allowing 38 ships to pass through each day and has seen demand increase in recent months mainly due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which is affecting the use of other corridors like the Suez Canal.

The El Niño climate pattern, which occurs every two to seven years, leads to warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which typically means wetter, colder winters in portions of the U.S. and rainfall reduction in Central America, leading to droughts.

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Trump has hindered offshore wind while China invests heavily

A wind turbine base is visible at Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm that is under construction off the coast of Montauk Point, New York, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, Associated Press, Updated 2:28 PM EDT, May 14, 2026

President Donald Trump is stopping offshore wind projects in the United States, just as the industry was poised to grow significantly.

Offshore wind energy has the potential to deliver large amounts of clean energy along U.S. coastlines. Three offshore wind farms are open in the United States, and three more have begun delivering power as they finish construction or final testing before fully opening.

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There are more than 40 federal offshore wind leases. The Trump administration is buying some leases back, giving payouts to energy companies to walk away from offshore wind. Trump has erected other roadblocks for the industry, while going all-in on fossil fuels.

His stance runs counter to many other countries that are embracing using wind turbines at sea to help meet a growing demand for electricity cleanly. China, where Trump is attending a summit this week, is the global leader in offshore wind. Unlike burning oil, coal and natural gas, wind turbines produce electricity without warming the planet.

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Will new fire-fighting system take the heat off Camden scrap yard?

By Eva Andersen, Scott Jacobson, CBS News

A Camden scrap metal recycling facility at the center of repeated fires and environmental concerns has unveiled a new multimillion-dollar fire suppression system designed to stop fires before they spread.

EMR, a metal recycling company with facilities in Camden, demonstrated the new system on Wednesday at its Camden property. The system includes infrared heat-detecting cameras, automated water cannons, and a 250,000-gallon water tank intended to quickly suppress fires linked to lithium-ion batteries hidden in scrap piles.

Company officials say the system is part of a broader effort to address fires that have plagued the facility in recent years and sparked backlash from nearby residents.

“What you’re looking at is a brand-new fire suppression system,” EMR CEO Joe Balzano said during a tour of the property.

Balzano said the company spent more than $4.5 million on the system, which took about seven months to install.

“We had a fire engineer sign off on everything to make sure it was something that would work,” Balzano said.

According to EMR, seven infrared cameras monitor piles around the clock. If temperatures rise above 225 degrees, automated water cannons activate and target the affected area.

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