Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), alongside Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.-06), the EPA’s Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Sean Moriarty, today announced that three Superfund sites in New Jersey are set to receive funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to bolster cleanup progress. The federal funding will be used to continue work already underway to dig up and dispose of PCB-contaminated soil and sediment in Cornell Dubilier Electronics Superfund site in South Plainfield, the Matteo & Sons Superfund Site in West Deptford, and the Mansfield Trail Dump Superfund Site in Byram Township.
“New Jersey is home to the most Superfund sites in the nation, and I am proud to have helped secure the vital funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that will fund this work,” said Sen. Menendez. “Today’s announcement means even more New Jersey communities will benefit from groundwater and soil remediation and improved public health, which will lead to cleaner and healthier communities and enhanced economic opportunity for residents, particularly here in South Plainfield, Byram and West Deptford. I want to thank the Biden Administration for their continued commitment to transforming communities who have been impacted by toxic contamination.”
“New Jersey has the most Superfund sites of any state in America,” said Sen. Cory Booker. “These sites, disproportionately located in Black, Brown, and low-income communities, contain toxic substances that expose nearby residents to elevated risks of cancers, birth defects, and other serious health problems. Since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, our state has received the federal support and resources necessary to remediate these sites, and today’s announcement will ensure that we continue our vital progress.”
“I’m proud to announce that help is on the way to clean up Superfund sites in New Jersey, including the Cornell-Dubilier Superfund Site in my district. Superfund sites threaten public and environmental health in New Jersey and across the country. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering on the promise we made to clean up backlogged sites and give our communities the peace of mind they deserve,” said Rep. Pallone. “I’m grateful to Administrators Regan and Garcia for working with us to get these sites cleaned up.”
“The unprecedented funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making a real difference for people across the country, including right here in South Plainfield, NJ. This funding will allow the removal of contaminated soil and sediment along the length of Bound Brook and its tributaries to continue at pace without interruption,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “In a state like New Jersey, where we have the most Superfund sites, this new money allows us to continue our work of cleaning up sites in communities across the state.”
“New Jersey boasts the most Superfund sites in the country because we seek them out and clean them up—a mark not of indignity, but of our resolve,” said State Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn M. LaTourette. “Thanks to the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Garden State champions in Congress like Rep. Frank Pallone, who fought for its passage, our partners at USEPA now have the resources to accelerate long-overdue cleanup activities, including the removal of toxic contaminants from sediments of the Bound Brook in South Plainfield. On behalf of the people of New Jersey, and their environment, I thank our partners at USEPA for this and other critical work to clean up past environmental harms all across our state.”
The three NJ sites were included in a group of 22 sites nationwide that together will receive $1 billion from a new round of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Sens. Menendez and Booker successfully fought for the funding that comes from the $3.5 billion in the law designated for Superfund cleanups that Congress passed and President Biden signed into law in 2021. An estimated 50 percent of New Jersey’s population lives within three miles of a Superfund site.
Sen. Menendez has been a longtime advocate for cleanup of Superfund sites in New Jersey. Sens. Menendez, Booker and Rep. Pallone are the authors the Superfund Polluter Pays Restoration Act, legislation that would to hold polluters responsible for the cleanup of contaminated Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country.
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