Environmental justice, public outcry, NIMBYs, and costly, protracted litigation, are just some of the doomsday phrases that come to mind when developers, corporations and elected officials consider the recent New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed public notification rules for increasing public participation in site remediation cases.

Last summer, the media swarmed over the discovery of mercury contamination at a day care center operating in a former thermometer manufacturing facility. Parents of the day care center students were justifiably outraged, fingers were pointed in all directions and state regulators were criticized for hiding the truth from the public. The episode created a somewhat exaggerated view of a deficiency in the state’s oversight of environmentally challenged sites. These proposed public outreach requirements are a direct result of that experience. ...

You need to register to view the rest of the article. Click here to subscribe.