Pallone Presses EPA Administrator on Funding for Superfund Clean-up, BEACH Grants, and Helicopter Monitoring of Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2016



WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, questioned EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy about cuts to programs responsible for monitoring coastal water health and Superfund site cleanup. Pallone emphasized that a clean environment is essential to public health and to a strong economy.

Video of Congressman Pallone’s questions can be found here.

Congressman Pallone expressed his concern over cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH) Grants, a program that was authored by Pallone to monitor coastal water quality nationwide. “As someone elected to represent part of the Jersey Shore, I understand the importance of protecting and improving the quality of our beaches and their importance to local economies,” said Pallone. “I am disappointed that, once again, your budget eliminates funding for this critical program, and I’m troubled by EPA’s apparent lack of concern over potential for waterborne pathogens or pollution affecting coastal recreation and public health. This program deserves continued support, and I will work with my colleagues to ensure adequate funding.”

Pallone also expressed concerns over funding for EPA programs to clean up Superfund sites. In December of last year, Pallone introduced legislation to help the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean up sites listed on the Superfund’s National Priority List. The Superfund Polluter Pays Act would reinstate the Superfund tax to ensure polluters—not taxpayers—pay for the cleanup of Superfund sites. New Jersey has the most superfund sites in the nation.

“While I appreciate EPA’s efforts, the remaining Superfund and Brownfield sites are becoming more complicated to clean-up and with limited resources, the time and cost to complete this work is extended significantly,” said Pallone in his remarks. “With so many people living near contaminated sites, we must continue providing robust support for these programs. Cleanup of these sites transforms them from liabilities to assets that generate needed revenues and economic opportunity.”

Additionally, Pallone asked that the agency’s helicopter monitoring program be reinstated. The program was cancelled in 2014 and has not been operating since. For years, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, EPA’s “Coastal Crusader” would monitor the waters along the Atlantic Coast for debris, such as trash, oil slicks and algal blooms known as floatables.

“EPA’s helicopter monitoring has operated at a nominal cost and has been incredibly successful in spotting and mitigating potential coastal disasters by spotting floatables before they reach the Shore,” said Pallone. “Cutting this program could have serious consequences for our tourism economy.”

Pallone Statement on Court Ruling Approving Controversial ExxonMobil Settlement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2015


LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, decried today’s state court approval of the Christie Administration’s controversial settlement with ExxonMobil. The Christie Administration decided to settle New Jersey’s $8.9 billion environmental damage lawsuit against ExxonMobil for a mere $225 million. The settlement comes after an 11-year legal battle to recover damages from ExxonMobil for the contamination of more than 1,800 acres of wetlands, marshes, meadows and waters in northern New Jersey.

“The Christie Administration’s settlement destroys years of hard work and sets an extremely dangerous precedent for future polluters to degrade our state with virtually no consequences,” said Congressman Pallone. “New Jerseyans deserved nothing less than to be fairly compensated for the degradation of our land and resources. However, the settlement and the ruling, along with ExxonMobil’s attempts – supported by the Christie Administration – to shirk responsibility, are an insult to New Jersey. I am further troubled that the settlement fails to hold Exxon accountable for pollution at 16 other facilities in the state. Today’s ruling, which effectively lets big oil off the hook, is a reminder that those of us in New Jersey who are committed to the environmental health and economic well-being of our state must redouble our efforts in the leadership void left by Governor Christie.”

In June, Pallone wrote to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection urging the rejection of the proposed settlement.

In his letter, Pallone wrote, “I was sent to Congress in 1988 to put a stop to ocean dumping and the reckless industrialization of the Jersey Shore. Ensuring the ecological vitality of New Jersey’s coastline and waterways has always been one of my top priorities. This insufficient settlement is an affront to the long term objective of cleaning up New Jersey’s legacy of toxic contamination.”

The full text of his letter is available HERE.

BUONO STANDS AGAINST GOVERNOR'S ASSAULT ON THE ENVIRONMEN​T

Resolution would declare Waiver Rule inconsistent with legislative intent


TRENTON – State Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) issued the following statement in regards to Gov. Christie's administration approval the Department of Environmental Protection waiver rule.

“The environment is not something that should be horsetraded by bureaucrats. Environmental protections that took decades and multilateral cooperation to put in place are now going to be bypassed based on unilateral decisions of the Christie administration.

“Environmental advocates predict increased pollution, flooding, and sprawl as a result. There could also be unintended consequences; for instance, the perception that politically-connected entities are being given waivers by the Christie administration.

“I am sponsoring a resolution, SCR59, that declares the Waiver Rule to be inconsistent with Legislative intent. We are fighting this rule in Trenton, but it never should have been put in place to begin with.”