They thought they were winning the battle until Nov. 9, when a federal appeals court wrested regulatory authority from the state Department of Environmental Protection and returned it to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The federal commission could soon consider a plan by owner Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. to consolidate the material - about 63,200 cubic meters - on-site and cap it with layers of crushed stone and soil mixes seven feet thick. The covering is designed to last 1,000 years.
Once again, concerned residents armed with dusty boxes of documents and clippings are prepared to fight Shieldalloy.
It is a wearisome battle, said Loretta Williams, who has lived in Newfield for all but three of her 68 years.
"It's too much anymore," she said. "It's never-ending."
Shieldalloy began producing alloys in Newfield when Williams was a teenager. The company made various products, including some for the aerospace industry. The radioactive waste was a by-product of an additive used to strengthen steel for bridges and skyscrapers.
Shieldalloy scaled back operations in 1998 and stopped four years ago. Though its annual tax - $81,227 last year - is less than half what it was a decade ago, Shieldalloy is still Newfield's largest payer.
The company says its plan to cap the waste is the safest option. The radioactive dust and slag, a rocklike substance, would remain on about 12 of the nearly 68 acres Shieldalloy owns off South West Boulevard, known in town simply as "the boulevard." The company would pay for maintenance and radiation monitoring of that portion "in perpetuity." The rest could be redeveloped.
The NRC accepted the plan for technical review in 2006, before the case was transferred to the state.
