Pallone Applauds Federal Funding for Superfund Sites, Including Raritan Bay Slag Site
Old Bridge, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today applauded funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to clean up Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country. The Raritan Bay Slag site will receive a grant worth an estimated $1 million to complete initial, preparatory, and contracting work associated with the cleanup of the seawall in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township. The primary sources of site contamination are lead and slag left over from the National Lead Company’s former plant on the Raritan River. The Seawall is built out of up to 80 percent lead slag and EPA has found battery casings along the Seawall Sector. The future work that this BIL-funded preparation work will support includes excavation of all source materials and contaminated soil and sediment, sampling, and restoration of the areas.
“It’s great to see the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site receive funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will help kickstart clean up and deliver peace of mind to the surrounding communities. This announcement is a step in the right direction so that the Old Bridge community can use the space without fear of the health risks that come with living near a Superfund site,” said Congressman Pallone. “New Jersey's ongoing challenges with Superfund cleanups is exactly why I pressed hard for the inclusion of my Superfund Polluter Pays Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I'll continue to fight to ensure that corporate polluters are held accountable for the contamination they create and that New Jersey receives the resources it needs to clean up these sites.”
Pallone has been a longtime advocate for cleanup of Superfund sites in New Jersey and around the nation. As a result of Pallone's advocacy, the Raritan Bay Slag site was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund National Priorities List in 2009. In August 2021, Pallone announced that EPA would take over the completion of the remediation design plans for the Seawall Sector to ensure the remediation design is technically sound and the site can be cleaned up successfully.
He has also long advocated for reinstating the tax on companies to ensure corporate polluters, not taxpayers, foot the bill for cleaning up waste and pollution. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reinstated the Superfund tax on chemical companies, and the Inflation Reduction Act reinstated the tax on crude oil and petroleum products. Combined, the new laws are expected to raise $11.7 billion in revenue.