Superfund Sites and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in New Jersey State: A Photo Essay

Abstract

In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), became law, with one component being an investment to clean-up Superfund and Brownfield sites. Through BIL funding, the Environmental Protection Agency announced $3.5 billion to clean-up Superfund sites that have been awaiting funding for years in mostly historically underserved communities. As in many states, the 3 Superfund sites used as examples in this essay are in a metropolitan or surrounding area and in residential communities. The photos in this essay help highlight how hazardous waste sites have come to look like normal industrial sites and that communities are often unaware of the dangerous exposures they face. The author suggests that in the age of social media, taking pictures and documentation of hazardous waste sites today in our communities can help mobilize public awareness and drive action to be taken toward delayed clean-up.

Routine Disasters, Routine Injustice

“…This concept is epitomized by Persaud's Photo Essay Superfund Sites and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in New Jersey State. 1 In that article, he states “The photos in this essay illustrate the degree to which hazardous waste sites have come to look like normal industrial sites. As a result, communities are often unaware of the dangerous exposures they face.” In addition, he states, “Although Brownfields vary demographically throughout the nation, many are located in urban areas.…”