Two energy companies with gas stations and oil processing facilities throughout New Jersey announced a settlement Monday with state officials to buy nearly 450 acres of land for preservation.
Two energy companies with gas stations and oil processing facilities throughout New Jersey announced a settlement Monday with state officials to buy nearly 450 acres of land for preservation.
Chevron USA Inc. and ConocoPhillips Co. have been cleaning up hundreds of sites since the 1980s, when groundwater pollution traced to the companies' sites was first discovered, officials said.
The purchase of land in Sussex, Warren, Gloucester and Middlesex counties is intended to compensate the state for damage that has been done and will avert litigation that could take years to settle, officials said.
"Today's land conservation victories help preserve our water supplies for future generations as we reverse pollution trends of past decades," acting Governor Codey said in a statement.
The settlement is an example of the Department of Environmental Protection's "resource-to-resource" form of compensation, in which companies agree to protect an area of land that is equivalent to the acreage of groundwater polluted, DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell said.
"New Jersey remains the only state systematically pursuing claims for compensation for these types of injuries," Campbell said. "This reflects the companies' recognition that it is better to resolve liability through appropriate watershed restoration projects than to dispute the issue in court."
Chevron is liable for 282 acres of damage to groundwater at 200 sites, in addition to partial liability at several other sites, officials said.
The California-based energy company will donate a 200-acre property in Hackettstown to DEP and will fund the purchase of a 165-acre property in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, through the Green Acres program, officials said.
The company will also restore and deed-restrict 11 acres of salt marsh along Woodbridge Creek in Perth Amboy, and pay DEP's damage-assessment costs, officials said.
The Hackettstown property is in the Highlands, adjacent to Allamuchy and Stephens State parks, and will create a contiguous stretch of preserved land. The tract, which contains forested wetlands, grasslands and streams, has the highest groundwater recharge rates in the state, officials said.
The settlement will provide tangible benefits to the residents of New Jersey, Chevron spokesman Stan Luckoski said.
"Chevron is extremely pleased to reach a cooperative settlement that resolves its environmental responsibilities in a proactive and cost effective manner," he said.
ConocoPhillips is responsible for contaminating 73.6 acres of groundwater at 43 sites statewide, officials said.
The Texas-based company will fund the purchase of two properties that total 73 acres through Green Acres program in Sparta and Vernon townships in Sussex County. Both properties have high groundwater recharge value. ConocoPhillips also will pay DEP's damage assessment costs.
The sites were previously owned by Mobil and subsequently sold to Getty before they were acquired by ConocoPhillips, said Lara Campbell, spokeswoman for the company.
"As part of our commitment to environmentally responsible operations, ConocoPhillips is pleased to be working with the New Jersey DEP in investing in the environmental sustainability of the state," she said.
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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
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