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NJ DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NEWS RELEASE
RELEASE: 11/13/01
01/136

CONTACT: Amy Collings or Loretta O'Donnell
(609) 984-1795 or 609-292-2994

DEP COMMISSIONER SHINN TO PRESENT AWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AND SIGN MODEL AGREEMENT TO FURTHER MILITARY CLEAN-UPS

State Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Shinn tonight will present six awards recognizing excellence in environmental management and sign a model agreement with Picatinny Arsenal that is expected to lead to innovative clean-ups at other military and non-military sites.

The ceremonies will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the EcoComplex in Columbus.

"By successfully implementing a range of effective and innovative environmental strategies, these award winners are demonstrating that New Jersey is a leader in environmental management," said Shinn. "From clean air programs to brownfields redevelopment, open space preservation to water protection, these organizations are proving that good environmental management is good business for New Jersey."

The winners of the state Environmental Excellence Awards are: MAR Inc., operators of the Ohmsett National Oil Spill Response Test Facility in Leonardo where extensive research and training is conducted; Trenton's aggressive brownfields program that is cleaning up more than 125 acres in the city; the Delaware River Port Authority which created park-like open space along the Route 30 corridor in Camden; the Lockheed Martin facility in Moorestown which has implemented a model energy management program at the plant; and the Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst which is receiving two awards - for proactively working to protect groundwater supplies in the pinelands and for its participation in DEP's Silver Track Program for Environmental Performance, a new DEP permitting program that provides regulatory flexibility to applicants committing to achieving significant environmental gains. The program also encourages the reduction of greenhouse gases.

The winners were selected by a team of top-level managers from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The main criteria for selection was the degree to which the organization's activity supports DEP's open space, clean air, clean water and other strategic goals. Other factors include the project's cost benefits, creativity and ability to be replicated elsewhere.

Winners are required to share their success stories with other organizations. The contest is sponsored by DEP and the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology (NJCAT), a public-private partnership promoting emerging environmental technologies.

"NJCAT is pleased to join with DEP to honor these organizations for their commitment to improving the environment and managing energy consumption," said Rhea Weinberg-Brekke, executive director of NJCAT. "By highlighting innovative solutions to these issues, we hope to inspire others to explore creative strategies for protecting our natural resources."

Also during the ceremonies, Shinn and Michael Devine, technical director at the U.S. Army's research and development center at Picatinny Arsenal, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a partnership to develop and implement innovative approaches to environmental management including state-of-the-art technologies to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental contamination.

The agreement will serve as a model for other partnerships between DEP and other U.S. Department of Defense sites. It will enable DEP to help determine if clean-up technologies used at Picatinny can also be used at other military bases in New Jersey and at non-military sites as well.

As part of the agreement, DEP will foster the commercialization of innovative technologies by working with NJCAT and the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Cooperation Workgroup, which seeks to promote the transfer of new technologies throughout the United States.

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