Dear Neighbors,
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week announced funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to clean up Superfund sites across the country, including the Raritan Bay Slag site in Old Bridge. The 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.
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. New Jersey's ongoing challenges with Superfund cleanups are exactly why I pressed hard for the inclusion of my Superfund Polluter Pays Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Taxpayers should not be held accountable for corporate pollution. 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. Read more here
Congress Must Prioritize the Protection of Endangered Whales
I sent a letter this week to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to block controversial language that would bar the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from creating safeguards to prevent the extinction of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW). There are currently an estimated 360 NARWs remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females, as climate change and human activity continue to threaten the survival of the species.
The Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act required NOAA to create a vessel speed rule, which mandates all vessels 65 feet and longer to travel at a speed of ten knots or less in certain times and places to protect the NARW from injury or death. In 2022, NOAA announced proposed changes to the vessel speed rule to reduce harm from strikes by vessels between 35 and 65 feet long.
The House Republican language would prohibit NOAA from completing this update until new technologies that do not yet exist have been implemented as conservation measures. This prohibition sets a dangerous precedent and is counter to our mandate to prevent the extinction of the North Atlantic right whale. I’ll continue to fight to protect these marine mammals. Read more here
Click here to visit my website or call my offices directly if you have questions or need help with a federal agency:
Middlesex County: 732-249-8892
Monmouth County: 732-571-1140
Sincerely,
