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New Jersey would cooperate in developing a multimedia sludge 

 disposal assessment for the area. A fee for use of the 12-mile 

 site would finance the assessment as well as additional monitoring, 

 research, and implementation of the appropriate long-term disposal 

 method. The fee would be in an amount adequate to accomplish its 

 purposes, but it is suggested that "an equitable starting point" 

 might be an assessment based on the cost differential between 

 dumping at the 12-mile and the 106-mile site. The fee would be 

 graduated over the five year period to minimize its economic 

 impact. 



In addition, the plan calls for: 



• Development of sludge quality standards within one year of 

 enactment. New Jersey would develop the standard with 

 participation by EPA and New York. The standard would be 

 related to a four year compliance schedule to improve sludge 

 quality. 



• Support for EPA's development and promulgation of categorical 

 pretreatment standards. 



• Support for EPA's development and promulgation of national 

 ambient air quality standards for heavy metals and toxic 

 organics. 



Designation of the 12-mile site and continued study of sludge 

 disposal in the New York/New Jersey area is consistent with the 

 City's position. While the plan contemplates the possibility of 

 requiring incineration, for example, as the long-term disposal 

 method of choice, it does not, in our reading, mandate that outcome 

 if the environmental assessment does not support it. A cooperative 



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