Bill Text: NJ SCR30 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Memorializes Administrator of EPA to expedite cleanup of Garfield Ground Water Contamination site and provide for temporary relocation of residents affected thereby.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-13 - Substituted by ACR51 [SCR30 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SCR30-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 30
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Memorializes Administrator of EPA to expedite cleanup of Garfield Ground Water Contamination site and provide for temporary relocation of residents affected thereby.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Concurrent Resolution memorializing the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to expedite cleanup of the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site and provide for the temporary relocation of residents affected thereby.
Whereas, The E.C. Electroplating Corporation conducted operations in the City of Garfield, New Jersey, from the 1930s until 2009; and
Whereas, In 1983 a partially buried vertical storage tank at the E.C. Electroplating property failed, releasing an estimated 3,640 gallons of chromic acid directly into the shallow aquifer and deeper bedrock aquifer; and
Whereas, Cleanup efforts by the E.C. Electroplating Corporation were terminated in 1984, less than one year after the spill, and at a time when more than 70 percent of the contamination was not yet extracted from the site; and
Whereas, After 10 years of investigation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally recognized the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site as one of the most hazardous in the nation by adding it to the National Priorities List pursuant to the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980," 42 U.S.C. s.9605; and
Whereas, The Garfield Ground Water Contamination site is located in an area of mixed residential and commercial use in the City of Garfield and is marked by a chromium groundwater plume that extends westward from the E.C. Electroplating property to the Passaic River; and
Whereas, The chromium groundwater plume is now suspected of having migrated across the Passaic River to areas within the City of Passaic and EPA officials are currently investigating these areas for contamination; and
Whereas, The contamination has already resulted in the seepage of hexavalent chromium into the basements of a growing number of homes and businesses in the City of Garfield; and
Whereas, Hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic and is known to cause cancer and nervous system damage; and
Whereas, As a result of the severe and widespread pollution throughout the contaminated community, property values have so declined that many residents who wish to evacuate cannot sell their homes, rendering any chance of independent evacuations a financial impossibility; and
Whereas,
With its recent designation as a site on the National Priorities List, the
Garfield Ground Water Contamination site is now eligible for federal funding to
be used for cleanup efforts and related costs, including costs associated with
the temporary relocation of those residents affected by the contamination; now,
therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency is respectfully memorialized to take all appropriate actions to facilitate the expeditious cleanup of the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site. The Administrator is further memorialized to develop and implement a plan that would provide funding for the temporary relocation of any residents on or around the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site who are at risk of being affected by the contamination.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, each member of the United States Congress elected from this State, and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution memorializes the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to take all appropriate actions to facilitate the expeditious cleanup of the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site and to develop and implement a plan that would provide funding for the temporary relocation of any residents on or around the site who are at risk of being affected by the contamination.
In 1983 a partially buried vertical storage tank failed at an electroplating facility located in the City of Garfield, releasing an estimated 3,640 gallons of chromic acid directly into the shallow aquifer and deeper bedrock aquifer. The contaminated site is located in an area of mixed residential and commercial use in the City of Garfield and is marked by a substantial chromium groundwater plume, which is now suspected of possibly having migrated under the Passaic River to areas in the City of Passaic.
The contamination has already resulted in the seepage of hexavalent chromium into the basements of a growing number of homes and businesses. Hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic and is known to cause cancer and nervous system damage. With its recent designation as a Superfund site, the Garfield Ground Water Contamination site is now eligible for federal funding to be used for cleanup efforts and related costs, including costs associated with the temporary relocation of those innocent residents affected by the contamination.
