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The New Jersey program for cleaning up old toxic sites has broken down and requires immediate federal intervention, according to a new report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General.
The report found neither the EPA nor the state Department of Environmental Protection has taken sufficient action to ensure progress at seven sites in New Jersey that have been on the Superfund list for more than 20 years.
Two of the sites are in Middlesex County.
One site - Evor Phillips Leasing Company - is in Old Bridge. The other - Jones Industrial Services Landfill - is in South Brunswick. American Cyanamid in Bridgewater also was cited.
The report recommends that the EPA's regional staff coordinate with the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection on the remediation of the sites. The report also says the EPA should become the lead agency to supervise the cleanups.
The report was prompted by a request by the federal Office of Management and Budget to evaluate the EPA's management of the backlog of Superfund sites.
As of February 2007, there were 144 Superfund sites that have been listed for more than 20 years but still have not been completely remediated. The study focused on New Jersey because the state has 38 of the sites, more than any other state.
The report says the major problem in New Jersey is not lack of resources but lack of aggressive enforcement, echoing long-standing criticisms leveled by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Full Story: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS/806180393