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Dear New Jersey Resident,It has been 30 years since the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection was created to protect our state's natural resources and public health. Each year, remedial actions at contaminated sites account for a wise investment in the future health of our residents and environment. As we mark this occasion and the beginning of a new century, I am pleased to report that the Department achieved measured progress in 1999 overseeing and conducting investigations and cleanups at numerous contaminated sites. Integrated within the Department's Strategic Plan, cleaning up contaminated sites will improve the health and safety of our communities. During 1999, the Department's Site Remediation Program provided oversight for nearly $100 million in completed cleanups by responsible parties at brownfield, underground storage tank and other non-Superfund sites. In support of such work, the Department approved $24.6 million in grants and $17.2 million in loans for municipalities, businesses and residents to conduct remedial activities at sites. Also, Corporate Business Tax funds provided more than $18 million for investigation and cleanup actions by Site Remediation Program contractors with public funds, while $66 million in federal funds were dedicated to Superfund site investigations and cleanups. In September 1999, the Department won a national Phoenix Award, which honors innovative brownfield projects, for overseeing the redevelopment of a 31-acre steel plant into a commercial complex along the Delaware River in Trenton. The project features office buildings, a minor league baseball stadium, a restaurant and entertainment facility and open space. New redevelopment projects that address site contamination issues enhance a neighborhood's character and provide an economic boost to the locale. This is the essence of New Jersey's brownfield program, which is highlighted in a separate update again this year. The threat to ground water from leaking underground storage tanks also remained a priority in 1999. Tank owners know that sound management is good business practice. The Department applauds the Hunterdon County Health Department for piloting an underground storage tank inspection program and the other counties that recently have joined this effort. I am confident that through continued cooperation of local, county, state and federal agencies and the state Legislature, underground storage tank inspections will continue to increase across New Jersey. Protection of our ground water is worth it. As we enter the new century, achieving continued progress in cleaning up contaminated sites will require refinements to the remedial process. The challenge to improve the state's cleanup program—already one of the most active and innovative in the nation—will be the topic of discussion at two conferences in Atlantic City this year. The second International Environmental Exposition organized by numerous private, state and federal groups will be held in June 2000 and a national brownfields conference comes to the state in October 2000. Thank you for your past participation in the process. Let's make cleanups in 2000 a successful venture that continues to benefit both the environment and the residents of New Jersey.
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