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Clearly, alternatives to the current practice of ocean disposal of 

 contaminated dredge materials must be found, and found quickly. The 

 advantages and disadvantages of various disposal alternatives, including 

 those just mentioned, must be examined and analysed in a timely fashion. 

 Sediments contaminated beyond accepted, scientific-based standards, whether 

 polluted by dioxin or by other contaminants, should not be disposed of in 

 ocean waters, and we should spare no effort to ensure that this policy 

 continues to be implemented. 



As I mentioned earlier, we have been engaged for the past several weeks 

 in a collaborative process seeking to identify areas of common concern 

 shared by public agencies, private enterprise, labor unions, commercial and 

 recreational fishing organizations, environmental groups and others 

 interested in a safe, secure and sustainable harbor. Through this process, 

 we have successfully identified seven key initiatives around which a 

 comprehensive policy of sound harbor-wide management practices can be 

 formulated to achieve our stated objectives of a vibrant economy and a 

 healthy environment. 



The first step is to attack dioxin at the source. A significant amount 

 of the dioxin in the Passaic Estuary, which discharges into the New York/New 

 Jersey Harbor, may have originated at the former Diamond Shamrock plant in 

 Newark. The successor company to Diamond Shamrock, Occidental Chemical 

 Corporation, has expressed a willingness to diseuaa with the USEPA and the 

 NJDEPE undertaking further investigation of dioxin in the Passaic Estuary 

 which may have been the responsibility of Diamond Shamrock. We anticipate 

 that these discussions will lead within 90 days to an administrative consent 

 order with USEPA for addressing this contamination. At the same time, the 

 NJDEPE has commenced surveys to identify any other present and/or past 

 sources of dioxin in the estuary, and we anticipate that these surveys will 

 likewise be completed within 90 days. 



A second step is to reduce non-point sources of harbor pollution. 

 Whether our efforts are targeted toward stormwater permitting, or 

 eliminating combined sewer overflows, or ending other practices which have 

 an adverse impact on water quality, we must invest in the environmental 

 infrastructure necessary to remove the threat of non-point sources of 

 pollution which threaten the integrity and quality of our harbor region. 

 Special emphasis must be given to identifying sources of toxic substances so 

 that they may be reduced and/or eliminated as quickly as possible. 



Third, we need to do a better job of providing meaningful information to 

 the public regarding science-based risk associated with dioxin and other 

 contaminants, dredging and disposal practices and procedures, short-term and 

 long-term disposal options, human health and environmental impacts of 

 contaminated sediments, and steps all of us can take to reduce pollution. 

 Instead of hype and hysteria, we should be providing the public with the 

 information needed to make informed, rational decisions. 



Fourth, we must move ahead promptly with research and development of 

 decontamination technologies. The USEPA has announced plans to allocate 

 $2.7 million from the Water Resources Development Act for a demonstration of 

 decontamination technologies, such as bioremediation, thermal decomposition, 

 chemical dechlorination, solvent extraction, mechanical separation, 

 vitrification, and other promising technologies, in the New York/New Jersey 

 harbor region. This work should supplement research and development 

 activities already underway in the Great Lakes and other regions. In New 

 Jersey, we have an exciting new public-private partnership — the New Jersey 

 Corporation for Advanced Technology, or NJ CAT — which is being created for 

 the express purpose of bringing together government, the business community 

 and the state's leading academic and research institutions to develop 

 advanced technologies that will help us solve some of our moat pressing 

 environmental problems. Certainly, research and development of 



