The next step in our project was to identify the bodies of power, regulation, and activism that relate to the thesis that we were trying to make visible.
Research on the landfill’s history and current occupation revealed startling information. Firstly, it’s important to once again clarify that we were now looking at not only the landfill itself, but the adjacent Kearny edge, which includes park spaces and other more confined industrial sites. Through online research, we found that there is a current redevelopment plan underway for the area of Kearny along Schuyler Avenue, which can be contextualized in the Relevant Structures blog post. This development is being facilitated by a firm known as Russo Development. Furthermore, our research revealed that flooding concerns that were recently sparked by Hurricane Irene in late August have generated a pump station proposal to deal with the excess water in the low-lying area east of Schuyler Avenue. This online article revealed that the pump station will potentially direct all flood water through Frank’s Creek, and ultimately into the wetlands. Given the data we collected by the Rutgers team, it was obvious that this proposal would be a huge issue in terms of amplifying the contamination that enters the wetlands.
Some separate supplemental research found that there is currently a solar panel project underway at the landfill. Yet another online article revealed some potential judgement that can be made due to the way in which the solar farm is advertised. Prior research told us that the Keegan Landfill is a 100 acre site. The online article boasting about the solar farm reveals that it will only occupy a mere 13 acres of the site. Furthermore, the article makes it seem as though the landfill is not currently active, which is not the truth. Although the solar project is innovative in the way that it provides renewable energy, which is considered to be a more sustainable energy source, the public relations surrounding its construction ultimately seem to blanket the issues that surround the landfill itself.
In regards to the power plant, we found that it is owned by Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), which is a publicly traded company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The large map above shows the four levels of ownership and regulation occurring within this particular site. They are private, city, state, and federal. The site is monitored closely by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retain proper emissions standards. PSEG was required to pay a fine to the city of Newark, The State of New Jersey, and the EPA. In 2012, they are scheduled to receive 180 million dollars to aid in plant operations and possibly will receive 220 million the following year.
Over the past one hundred years, the Standard Chlorine Site, Kopper’s Coke site, and Diamond Shamrock site have changed hands multiple times. The Standard Chlorine site, though owned by the Standard Chlorine Chemical Company, Kearny, NJ is watched closely by the EPA who is facilitating the remediation of the site. The Kopper’s Coke site, currently owned by The Hudson County Improvement Authority, has hopes of being purchased by New Jersey Transit for redevelopment according to an article written by The Jersey Journal. The Diamond Shamrock site, formerly owned by Chemical Land Holdings, is now owned by Terra Solutions. Together these three sites comprise just over 180 acres of land. Designated as potential sites of development, little to no action. In a report completed by the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the sites are good contestants for infrastructure development in relation to growth development.
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