The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has issued a significant directive promoting the use of sustainable techniques during remediation processes. In an unexpected turn of events in September, NJDEP’s Contaminated Site Remediation and Redevelopment program (CSRR) released new guidelines titled the Administrative Guidance for Green, Sustainable, and Resilient Remediation.
This initiative encourages the implementation of Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) while emphasizing the importance of resilience in dealing with contaminated sites under the jurisdiction of state statutes and rules. While this new development sparks a revolution within the Environmental Law sphere, it also garners attention from all legal professionals, particularly those in corporations and law firms dealing with environmental issues and remediation processes.
According to the full report provided by Fox Rothschild LLP on JD Supra, this initiative bolsters the goals of sustainable remediation. These include, but are not limited to cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions, consequent human health risks, and the unrestricted use of resources while conducting remediation activities.
Furthermore, the NJDEP’s resolution to factor in resilience during the remediation of contaminated sites underscores the importance of acknowledging, addressing, and trying to mitigate potential climate change impacts and related disasters. This underscores the need for remediation processes that anticipate future climate impacts and can effectively deal with their consequences.
As legal professionals navigating the challenging terrain of environmental regulations and remediation orders, keeping a tab on such developments is pivotal. The current move by the NJDEP certainly points towards a future where more stringent sustainability measures get incorporated into toxic site cleanup processes, thus necessitating a comprehensive understanding and application of environmentally responsible legal strategies.