LAKEWOOD — A bill that would provide funding to municipalities for environmental remediation work should be acted upon promptly, according to Economic Development Director Russell K. Corby.
The legislation, S-277, was voted out of the Senate Environmental Committee last month and is awaiting action by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. It still needs approval from the full Senate and Assembly before it could be signed by Acting Gov. Richard Codey.
“Site remediation and cleanup is a very expensive proposition for communities engaged in redevelopment of abandoned or polluted properties,” said Corby, who also serves as the mayor of Pine Beach.
The state’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund, established in 1993, only awards grants for assessment projects, the preliminary documentation of the site to identify the environmental hazards, or the uses of new of innovative remediation technologies or practices, Corby said.
“Actual site cleanup is labor-intensive, hands-on work for which no grant funding is currently available,” Corby said. “More often than not, communities are faced with staggering actual cleanup costs reported or suggested from the assessments. This alone may delay or even end a worthy local effort.”
Corby, a member of the League of Municipalities’ Economic Development Task Force, said the group is scheduled to meet later this month to discuss amendments to the 1993 hazardous discharge law. The fund is supported by the sale of bonds through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
The S-277 proposal is sponsored by Sens. John Adler (D-Camden) and Henry McNamara (R-Bergen).