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OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Since this southern New Jersey beach town broke a decade-old promise last year not to use wood from tropical rainforests on its boardwalk, just about everything that could go wrong with the plan did go wrong.

Environmentalists picketed and the mayor's office was flooded with 50,000 protest e-mails from around the globe.

The wood, which was supposed to be certified as having been harvested responsibly from trusted sources in the Amazon, cost anywhere between 30 and 70 percent more than wood without the certification.

And the Baltimore lumber company that was supposed to have the wood here by the end of the year still hasn't. It blamed, among other things, unfavorable currency exchange rates, and low water levels in Amazon jungles that made it hard to float logs to mills.

Now, after suffering serious damage to its reputation as an environmentally friendly community, the city that calls itself "America's Greatest Family Resort" may be ready to scrap the $1.1 million deal — even if it means a costly legal battle.

A majority of the City Council is considering voting Thursday night to refuse to pay for the wood, claiming the Louis Grasmick Lumber Co. has defaulted on its contract with Ocean City.

"We've taken this entire community down a path of divisiveness, for reasons I still don't understand," said Councilman Jody Alessandrine. "It has put our city on the map and on the Internet and in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons. Some people are just unwilling to admit their mistakes."

delawareonline OCNJ may scrap rainforest wood boardwalk deal

Just think how long this wood would last