TRENTON — A state program to help communities and developers clean up dirty, contaminated properties known as “brownfields” has run out of money and has been temporarily shut down, officials told a Senate panel this morning. “We have $71 million worth of applications in house that have yet to be processed,” said Irene Kropp, deputy commissioner of the Department...
Marty Lipp poses in front of the underground storage tank removed from his Maplewood property, which he will now have to pay to repair after the state program ran out of money.TRENTON — A state program to help communities and developers clean up dirty, contaminated properties known as “brownfields” has run out of money and has been temporarily shut down, officials told a Senate panel this morning.
“We have $71 million worth of applications in house that have yet to be processed,” said Irene Kropp, deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. “All of those have to go through prior to any new applications even being looked at.”
The brownfields program is the second environmental initiative to run out of money this year. Last month, The Star-Ledger reported that a program to help homeowners remove leaky, underground home heating oil tanks had also run dry, leaving many residents in a lurch.
The brownfields fund allows municipalities, developers and other property owners to apply for money to investigate contamination on properties and clean them up so they can be reused and returned to the tax rolls.
The underground tank and brownfields funds are both supported by a constitutionally-dedicated portion of the state’s corporate business tax.
Caren Franzini, chief executive officer of the state Economic Development Authority, said the brownfield fund suffered from the same fate as the tank fund. Legislative changes over time allowed more people to apply and more dollars to be paid per applicant, but no one ensured there would be enough money to cover the demand.
The authority oversees the tank and brownfields funds in conjunction with DEP. Franzini told the Senate Environment and Energy Committee that her agency is considering a comprehensive overhaul of both programs.