Bill Text: NJ AR87 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges EPA to expend funds from NJ Superfund settlements to remediate sites at issue.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [AR87 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR87-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Urges EPA to expend funds from NJ Superfund settlements to remediate sites at issue.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency to expend funds from New Jersey Superfund settlements exclusively for remediating the Superfund sites at issue.
Whereas, The federal Superfund law, or the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act" (CERCLA), was signed on December 11, 1980; and
Whereas, There was continual hazardous waste dumping in the United States, creating thousands of uncontrolled or abandoned contaminated sites, such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, processing plants, and landfills; and
Whereas, There was an increase in concern over the health and environmental risks posed by these contaminated sites; and
Whereas, The Superfund law addressed the dangers of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste dumps by developing a nationwide program for emergency response, information analysis, liability for responsible parties, and site cleanup; and
Whereas, Superfund sites are settled by either the party deemed responsible for the contaminated site or a cleanup led by the federal Environmental Protection Agency which the liable party must reimburse; and
Whereas, The Superfund law grants the EPA broad authority to clean up identified contaminated sites and, in doing so, improves the surrounding environment; and
Whereas, New Jersey played a pivotal role in the creation of the Superfund law as two fires, a chemical waste treatment facility in Bridgeport, and a waste storage facility in Elizabeth affirmed the need for hazardous site remediation; and
Whereas, Since the Superfund's inception in 1980, New Jersey has had 2,168 identified contaminated sites that qualify for Superfund money; and
Whereas, New Jersey has 829 Superfund sites that are active today; and
Whereas, New Jersey has 115 currently active sites and an additional 37 currently proposed sites on the EPA's National Priorities List; and
Whereas, New Jersey has the highest number of Superfund sites that still require remediation as of April 2023; and
Whereas, Funds from Superfund settlements in New Jersey should be expended exclusively for remediating the Superfund sites at issue as oppose to site or program overhead costs in other states; and
Whereas, The EPA should follow New Jersey's best practices for limiting settlement expenditures on agency administrative and oversight costs to a maximum of 10 percent of the total dollar value of the settlement; and
Whereas, It is imperative that the EPA recognize the dire need New Jersey has for the funds resulting from in-state Superfund settlements to be used for remediating the sites at issue and limit the settlement expenditures used for agency administrative and oversight costs; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The State of New Jersey urges the federal Environmental Protection Agency to expend funds from New Jersey Superfund settlements to remediate the sites at issue and to limit the settlement expenditures used for agency administrative and oversight costs.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and the Regional Administrator of the Region 2 Office.
3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expend funds from New Jersey Superfund settlements exclusively for remediating the Superfund sites at issue and to limit the settlement expenditures used for agency administrative and oversight costs.
Prior to the enactment of the Superfund law in 1980, there was continual hazardous waste dumping in the United States, creating thousands of uncontrolled or abandoned contaminated sites, such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, processing plants, and landfills. As the problem grew, there was an increase in concern over the health and environmental risks posed by these contaminated sites. Two fires in New Jersey, a chemical waste treatment facility in Bridgeport, and a waste storage facility in Elizabeth affirmed the need for national hazardous site remediation.
The Superfund law, or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), was signed on December 11, 1980. The law addressed the dangers of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste dumps by developing a nationwide program for emergency response, information analysis, liability for responsible parties, and site cleanup. The law grants the EPA broad authority to clean up identified contaminated sites and in doing so, improves the surrounding environment.
Since the Superfund's inception in 1980, New Jersey has had a total of 2,168 identified contaminated sites. Today, New Jersey has 829 active sites with 152 sites placed on the National Priority List. As of April 2023, New Jersey has the highest number of Superfund sites that require remediation. Hence, it is imperative that EPA recognize the dire need New Jersey has for the funds resulting from in-state Superfund settlements be used for remediating the sites at issue and limit the settlement expenditures used for agency administrative and oversight costs.
