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On April 6, 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) proposed substantial changes to the Remediation Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:26D, promulgated under the Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10B-1 et seq. (“Brownfield Act”). The proposal seeks to amend the existing Remediation Standards in a number of ways, many of which have …

On May 2, 2020 Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 136 tolling several timeframes administered by DEP, as well as extending certain filing deadlines.

Beginning on March 9, 2020, all timeframes governing public notice, review, or final action on applications for, or renewals of permits, registrations, plans, petitions, licenses, rates, and other approvals under the…

On March 18, 2020, the Appellate Division affirmed the Department of Environmental Protection’s November 9, 2017 decision to renew the Tier A municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) general permit. (Delaware Riverkeeper Network v. NJDEP, Dkt. A-1821-17T3.) Stormwater discharges must be permitted by DEP. General permits streamline the permitting process by avoiding the…

An unpublished Superior Court Appellate Division opinion (89 Water Street Associates, LLC v. Reilly, Docket No. A-3366-17T1, October 1, 2019), despite being non-precedential, will be instructive to lawyers handling commercial real estate transactions, land use issues, or environmental litigation arising from environmentally contaminated sites.  The opinion reversed the trial court’s order interpreting environmental…

Note, February 27, 2020: The NJDEP has made available licensing registration forms referenced in our original blog post that must be submitted by any entity engaged in “soil and fill recycling services” by April 20, 2020.  NJDEP also issued  a guidance document and FAQs.  These documents can be found here.  

On January 21, 2020,…

Last month, the NJDEP announced $13.5 million in funding available for local projects to improve water quality and to prevent harmful algal blooms (“HABs”).  HABs affected numerous fresh water bodies in New Jersey last summer, most notably, Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake.  The funding includes $3.5 million in grants for which NJDEP has issued requests…

On December 12, 2019, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) held the first meeting of the Interagency Council on Climate Change, a panel created by Executive Order 89 issued by Governor Murphy.  At that meeting, NJDEP released a study prepared by Rutgers University and leading climate change experts which found that New Jersey…

In November, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a granting of summary judgment by the District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Court of Appeals determined that the current property owner’s claim for contribution pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) was untimely because the statute of limitations for contribution claims begins to accrue when the party seeking contribution administratively settles its liability. That decision, Cranbury Brick Yard, LLC v. United States of America, fills one of the statutory gaps that exists in CERCLA.

The site in the case was a weapons manufacturing facility in Cranbury, New Jersey. During World War II and the Korean War, Unexcelled Manufacturing Co. manufactured bombs, anti-aircraft ammunition, grenade fuses, and other high-powered weapons for the U.S. Military. Following an investigation of the site by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), a directive identified several responsible parties, including the former owner of the site and the U.S. Navy.…
Continue Reading Third Circuit Fills Gap Left by CERCLA

Once again, a recent Appellate Division Panel opinion has environmental lawyers and their clients realizing that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) may collect penalties in the state’s municipal courts.  This time, the case concerned penalties assessed by DEP for failure to follow state site remediation requirements imposed by the Site Remediation and…