Page 10 of the PAERAB's Spring 2008 TAPP Contractor Newsletter

Text Box: On April 15, 2008 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson testified before a joint hearing of the Senate Environment and Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committees on proposed reforms to the beleaguered Site Remediation Program. Commissioner Jackson noted that when she had last testified before the Senate Environment Committee that there were over 16,000 contaminated sites requiring NJDEP attention. Since that time the number of sites had jumped to over 20,000. Commissioner Jackson recognized that that large number of sites was too many for the program to address within a reasonable timeframe. The toll of

Text Box: Bill Swyaze and Kristen Alloway of The Star-Ledger reported in the April 12, 2008 issue of that newspaper about what was believed to be a piece of misfired artillery that landed on a home in the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township. The Army detailed an explosive ordnance team to investigate. The full article can be viewed at http://www.nj.com The mishap does not appear to have been related to the current removal action being conducted in the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) area of the base. That effort is focused on investigating unexploded ordnance in the area, primarily resulting from the 1926 explosion at the base.

such large numbers of unaddressed sites is the potential spread of contamination and potential health impacts along with the diminished use of those properties. Commissioner Jackson noted the following areas in need of reform:

The Army issued a statement about the more recent incident that was intended for dissemination to the RAB and is provided on page 11.

The following relevant guidance is in section 202.1 of Subpart A on page 27618 of Vol. 71, No. 92 of the

1. Licensing of environmental consultants

2. Ability of the NJDEP to select remedies

32 US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 202 : “…(b)Purpose and scope of responsibilities of RABs. The purpose of a RAB is to provide: … (4) A forum for addressing issues associated with environmental restoration activities under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) at DoD installations, including activities conducted under the Military Munitions Response program (MMRP) to address unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and the chemical constituents of munitions“. On page 27611 in A.202.1 Purpose, Scope, Definitions, and Applicability the

CONTINUED ON P. 11

8. Address dry cleaning facilities

As mentioned previously (see article on page 2) the effort at Picatinny Arsenal has often been plagued with delays perhaps partly due to the inability of the NJDEP to adequately staff for project oversight to meet the tremendous demand for review of documents related to the cleanup. The full text of Commissioner Jackson’s testimony can be found at http://www.nj.gov/dep

The issues discussed by NJDEP Commissioner Jackson in her April 15, 2008 testimony (discussed above) are further enumerated at http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp

3. Permanence of remedies

4. Finality and protection against remedy failure

5. Additional incentives for Brownfields Redevelopment

6. Expanded notification to local officials

7. Additional controls on underground storage tanks and financial assistance