ROOSEVELT — State funds are available to help residents get rid of their underground oil tanks.
At the Dec. 15 Borough Council meeting, Bob Silverstein, the liaison to the Environmental Commission, said a meeting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be scheduled in February so that people may learn about the funding options for removing old tanks.
Silverstein noted that most residential underground oil tanks in the borough have been there for at least 50 years and will eventually rust. He said the DEP is providing residents with up to $1,200 for the removal of nonleaking oil tanks, and up to $500,000 for tanks that are found to be leaking. He said that money is also available for municipalities that have commercial tanks within their borders.
According to Silverstein, there is an application fee of $250 for the DEP program. The February workshop will walk residents through the application process, he said.
“Apparently, the state really wants to get tanks out of the ground,” he said. “There are still hundreds of thousands of them, and the state wants them out.”
The DEP Web site states that since all oil tanks will ultimately leak, the DEP urges all homeowners to have their tanks tested and inspected and to replace old oil tanks to protectNewJersey’s environment and to prevent a homeowners’ pollution liability loss. For more information, visit the DEP Web site at www.state.nj.us/dep.