14 



As you know, the agency has authorities under a broad range of 

 statutes to deal with contaminated sediments particularly to pro- 

 tect sediments, and what we have been trying to do is develop con- 

 sistent testing methodologies between statutes and have a strategy 

 that the agency could use. Some of these items were defined under 

 the Water Resources Development Act last fall. What we have 

 done is try to modify ongoing agency activities to support these 

 mandates which include things like a contaminated sediment in- 

 ventory across the nation. There is, in fact, a meeting going on 

 here today between Federal agencies and State agencies on that in- 

 ventory. 



Let me jump quickly then to issues about sediment decontamina- 

 tion technology. We have done significant research in this area to- 

 gether with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers particularly in sites 

 within the Great Lakes area. But since the applications of the tech- 

 nologies that we have been investigating of full scale sediment re- 

 mediation have been limited to only one site in the United States, 

 the cost for future applications can only be estimated for complete 

 sediment remediation scenarios. And estimates exist that it would 

 cost something like $50 to over $400 per cubic yard of sediment to 

 completely decontaminate sediment, particularly things like dioxin- 

 contaminated sediments, though we do not feel that at this point in 

 time there are available technologies that can help us resolve this 

 decontamination issue. With that point I will stop. Thank you, Mr. 

 Chairman. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Davies can be found at the end 

 of the hearing.] 



Mr. Ortiz. Thank you. Mr. Sinding. 



STATEMENT OF RICHARD SINDING, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER 

 FOR POLICY AND PLANNING, NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF 

 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ENERGY 



Mr. Sinding. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and members 

 of the committee and subcommittee. My name is Richard Sinding. I 

 am the Assistant Commissioner for Policy and Planning for the 

 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. 



First of all, let me thank you for the opportunity to appear 

 before you today on behalf of Governor Florio and Commissioner 

 Scott Weiner of the DEPE and to share a couple of remarks about 

 some of the opening statements made by the three New Jersey 

 Congressmen. I think it is instructive that all of them made state- 

 ments which I think comport very closely with positions that the 

 New Jersey DEPE has taken. 



In particular, Congressman Pallone, I want to assure you not 

 only that the New Jersey DEPE shares your concern about the ef- 

 fects of dioxin but that I personally as a Vietnam veteran do. As 

 someone who returned to Vietnam last year and visited firsthand a 

 museum in Ho Chi Minh City that demonstrates very clearly the 

 traumatic and tremendous effects of not only potential but real 

 harmful effects of dioxin as a byproduct of Agent Orange, I share 

 deeply your concern and so does the Department. 



Congressman Hughes mentioned long-term options as an area 

 which is important to assess and study, and I can assure you, Con- 



