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WASHINGTON— U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today announced that the Army Corps of Engineers will receive $1 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to remove inaccessible soil on Black Oak Ridge Road adjacent to the former W.R. Grace & Company Superfund site. The removal of remaining contaminated soil will help clear the way for Wayne Township to convert the site into a new recreational area.
“Three years ago I was proud to help transfer ownership of this land from the federal government to Wayne Township,” stated Pascrell. “I applaud the Army Corps for continuing to monitor soil around the site and am pleased that we have come up with funding for the Corps to put finishing touches on this project. For as long as I have been involved in this project, I have been determined to find any contamination and see it remediated to the highest possible environmental standard so that the site can be made widely accessible to the people of Wayne. We have literally left no stone unturned to ensure the highest level of environmental quality in Wayne Township.”
“We are extremely grateful to Congressman Pascrell for his continued efforts on behalf of Wayne” said Mayor Christopher P. Vergano. “The fact that an additional $1 million is now being appropriated for what will hopefully be the final phase of this remediation project is a testament to his continued interest in this long standing problem.”
Since 1997, Pascrell worked closely with local officials and the federal government to ensure that the site was decontaminated to a residential standard, rather than an industrial standard. The project’s success can be further marked by the substantial amount paid by the polluter for the cleanup, and the smooth transfer of land from the federal government to Wayne Township in 2006.
From 1948-1971 the 6.5 acre site was utilized by W.R. Grace and Company for the processing of rare earth metals. During Grace's operation, waste materials containing thorium were buried on site and in the surrounding area.
In 1984 the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the Wayne site on the National Priorities List (NPL), a priority list of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States. The site was also placed on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
The Wayne site was the first U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FUSRAP location in the United States to be completely cleaned on schedule. In addition, approximately $32 million in funding the clean-up was paid out by the polluter, W.R. Grace and Company.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers was appropriated $4.6 billion for projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009
“The Corps is fully committed to ensuring the Recovery Act funds provided for Civil Works are used to achieve the purposes envisioned by the President and Congress for the legislation,” said Maj. Gen. Merdith “Bo” Temple, deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations for the Corps. “We intend to quickly put these dollars into action to get our fellow citizens to work on Corps projects throughout the nation,”
Economists estimate that Corps Recovery Act projects will create or maintain approximately 57,400 direct construction industry jobs and an additional 64,000 indirect and induced jobs in firms supplying or supporting the construction and the businesses that sell goods and services to these workers and their families.
The Wayne FUSRAP site is one of only nine in the country to be awarded stimulus funding.
“The completion of this project will put people to work, benefit the people of Wayne and improve environmental health in Passaic County. It is a clear example of the how stimulus bill is helping to get the economy back on track and improve the quality of life in New Jersey communities,” concluded Pascrell.
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