Politics & Government

State Praises Privatized Cleanup of Hazardous Waste Sites

Number of toxic sites dips markedly, but critics claim proposed extension of deadline gives companies more time to pollute

By Tom Johnson, Courtesy of NJ Spotlight

If you listen to the state Department of Environmental Protection and some lawmakers, the efforts to privatize the cleanup of contaminated hazardous waste sites has been pretty much of an unqualified success. Since the program was initiated in 2009, the number of hazardous waste sites in New Jersey awaiting cleanup has dropped from more than 20,000 to about 14,500, according to Mark Pedersen, an acting assistant commissioner of the DEP.

The development is significant given the uneven progress in cleaning up polluted waste sites in New Jersey, a state with a reputation for having more contaminated areas than nearly anywhere else in the nation.

Pedersen told the Senate Environment and Energy Committee that the program -- known as the Site Remediation Reform Act -- has been very successful in accelerating cleanups. In the past, many toxic sites have long languished without any action to contain pollution.

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Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), the chairman of the committee, agreed. “It is working, but maybe not perfectly,’’ he said, after hearing Pedersen outline the progress of the program to the committee.

Read more at NJSpotlight.com

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NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, policy-centered and community-minded.


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