Residents of tiny Newfield knew what the term “powerless voter” meant long before it became a cliche in the recent presidential election. They had no seat at the table when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $5.6 million court settlement recently in a long-standing pollution case.

Shieldalloy Metallurical Corp. vacated its 67.5-acre Newfield property 10 years ago, leaving a giant pile of mildly radioactive waste “slag,” plus underground water contaminated with hazardous volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. It’s now a Superfund site.

Local and state officials have been battling for almost two decades over a cleanup, starting when the site was operating. Generally, it’s been a fight between the state Department Environmental Protection and local citizens — who understandably want suspect materials sent far, far, away — and the company, which wants to spend not one dollar more than it has to. Too often, EPA has backed Shieldalloy’s cheaper plans to leave waste on-site, but “cap” it and monitor the handiwork.

Within its limited scope, the new settlement is not necessarily bad. It commits the company to reimburse the EPA for more than $500,000 that it has already spent to clean up the underground water, and to set aside $5 million more for enhanced efforts to do so. Now at risk is the Hudson Branch of the Maurice River. If the pollution is not halted, the EPA fears, toxins could flow into Burnt Mill Pond in Vineland.

The settlement requires removal of 9,800 cubic yards of sediment that is contaminated with heavy metals, but it also allows Shieldalloy to cap a 1.3-acre section of the site to reduce exposure to tainted soil. Predictably, the New Jersey Sierra Club has called the proposed agreement a “sell-out.”

Yet, even Newfield Mayor Donald Sullivan seems resigned to the view that doing something is better that doing nothing.

“We’re just happy that Shieldalloy has agreed to clean this up,” Sullivan said, adding that he trusts the EPA to cap the 1.3-acre section properly.

Trust in the EPA during the incoming “Age of Trump” may be misplaced. The president-elect or his rabidly anti-regulation appointees are likely to make the agency even more toothless than it was under Ronald Reagan. So, it might be pragmatic to back the settlement that is on the table now.

The most visible reminder of Shieldalloy’s environmental stewardship, the 65,800-cubic-foot slag mountain that is emitting radiation from uranium, is not part of the recent settlement. It’s important for the DEP and local lawmakers to keep fighting for full removal of the slag. Uranium half-life is measured in hundreds of years, though such potency has been denied regarding the Shieldalloy material. Nonetheless, “long-term monitoring” of this capped waste in place would be a joke. It belongs in a special landfill.

Meanwhile, the $5.6 million consent decree is subject to 30 days of public comment and final U.S. District Court approval. Raise questions, oppose it if you want, but know that what’s around the corner from “The Art of the Deal” administration could be even worse.

For more information or assistance with your Environmental and Health & Safety regulatory compliance needs, contact Ralph Carito at Total Environmental & Safety, LLC (Total) at rcarito@TotalEnviron.com or 908-442-8599.