Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to join in offering this amendment to address a serious problem in my state. This amendment is very timely. This…”

“I rise to join in offering this amendment to address a serious problem in my state. This amendment is very timely. This week, I have been working with my colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee on Superfund reauthorization. I strongly believe that the Superfund reauthorization bill before the Committee will severely undermine the concept that the polluter should pay for the waste it created, which is what this amendment before us now is all about. The Federal government is long overdue in reaching an adequate resolution of claims against W.R. Grace & Co., for the cleanup of the Wayne Superfund Site in New Jersey. There seems to be no end to the headaches experienced by the residents of Wayne Township over this site and over the lack of any settlement. Between 1955 and 1971, the W.R. Grace & Company owned and operated a thorium extraction operation in Wayne Township. In 1984, because of the threat to the public's health from potential groundwater contamination, the site was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List and is now being managed by the Corps of Engineers under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). That same year, 1984, W.R. Grace provided a payment of $800,000 and signed an agreement with the Federal government. This agreement stated that the government can still pursue legal action against the company under applicable laws, which would include Superfund.”