FREEHOLD, New Jersey – On Thursday May 7 New Jersey Governor Corzine signed into law the Site Remediation Reform Act to expedite the cleanup of hazardous waste sites across New Jersey. With this signing, NJ is creating the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) program, which will change the way cleanup work is overseen and the timelines for compliance with environmental requirements. Parties responsible for cleanup of hazardous waste sites in New Jersey must be prepared for changes to the laws governing these liabilities.
The law requires NJDEP to prepare significant revisions to current cleanup program rules in only 18 months to meet this new mandate for site remediation. Under the new law, cleanups for the majority of environmentally impacted sites will now be overseen by LSRPs. Instead of awaiting direct approvals by the NJDEP, licensed consultants will plan and direct the cleanup needed to comply with environmental laws, and to develop, maintain, or sell property.
These changes mean that responsible parties will:
• Face new mandatory deadlines for compliance
• Need to re-prioritize management of their current environmental liabilities
• Need to prepare for the business impacts of the new law
Woodard & Curran has closely followed the development of the new law, and is prepared to help clients plan for these changes. The firm has more than 15 years of experience with successful similar programs in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and is preparing for clean up work to accelerate at New Jersey’s environmentally impacted sites.
