|
Washington, D.C. --- In response to a letter sent by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to conduct an analysis of the environmental justice impacts of the former Ringwood Superfund site on the surrounding community and to consider re-listing Ringwood as an active Superfund site.
The New Jersey congressman was notified of EPA's intentions in a letter sent to him on November 8th from EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. (A COPY OF STEINBERG'S LETTER FOLLOWS)
"I acknowledge your concern that environmental justice issues may exist at this site," Steinberg wrote in his letter to Pallone. "To that end, I have instructed EPA's Environmental Justice Coordinator to conduct an environmental justice analysis of the Upper Ringwood community. I have also instructed my staff to review our legal authority to determine whether the site can be re-listed on the National Priorities List."
Pallone wrote to the EPA about Ringwood on September 26th, one day before he and officials from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) joined area residents and environmental advocates in touring the Ringwood Site.
In his letter, Pallone requested that EPA's Office of Environmental Justice investigate whether the Ramapough Mountain Indians, a state-recognized Native American tribe, have been improperly impacted by the slow and incomplete cleanup efforts at the site. (A COPY OF PALLONE'S LETTER ALSO FOLLOWS) Earlier this year, Pallone and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) sent another letter to EPA requesting that the site once again be added to the federal Superfund list.
"I hope this is the first of many steps that the EPA will take to correct the grave injustices committed in Ringwood," Pallone said. "Conducting an environmental justice analysis and re-listing the site would go a long way towards helping the community and ensuring that the area is cleaned up once and for all.
"The residents of this community have long suffered at the hands of Ford and its contractors, and over the past 22 years cleanup efforts have fallen far short," Pallone continued. "It is high time Ringwood is recognized for the environmental and public health tragedy it is, so that we can make certain all the contamination is removed and the Ringwood community gets the help it needs." |
