October 2003

New Cleanup Star Program to Revise Role of Environmental Consultants

Palmyra, NJ— New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, Bradley M. Campbell, designated neighborhoods in Hillside, Irvington, Newark and Palmyra as brownfield development areas to encourage cleanup and reuse of contaminated sites in these communities.

Commissioner Campbell also announced the start of a Cleanup Star Program to reform the role of environmental consultants by allowing those pre-qualified by DEP to work with developers and responsible parties to expedite site cleanups and redevelopment.

DEP’s Brownfield Development Area (BDA) program works with selected communities impacted by multiple brownfield sites to implement remediation and reuse plans in a coordinated fashion. Under this designation, all brownfield sites within a development area will be assigned to a single case manager, who will coordinate with partnering state agencies to direct targeted technical and financial assistance to stimulate reuse.

The Cleanup Star Program is designed to achieve three main goals:

•Increase the quality of the environmental consulting profession;
•Facilitate remediation of low-risk sites;
•Allow DEP case managers to devote more resources to high priority cases. DEP will audit consultants’ work to ensure regulatory compliance and protection of public health and the environment.

“Under the innovative Cleanup Star Program, DEP will pre-qualify environmental consultants meeting all environmental standards for cleanups and rigorous training and professional requirements,” said Commissioner Campbell. “These ‘Cleanup Stars’ will be permitted to expedite the investigation and cleanup of low-risk sites, subject to appropriate safeguards.”

The Cleanup Star Program will contribute to the improvement of the environmental consulting profession by establishing standards of excellence for consultants performing remedial work. Also, DEP case managers will have more time to focus on sites with greater environmental or public health concerns by relying on consultants in the Cleanup Star Program to use their expertise at the least contaminated sites.