BP AMERICA RECEIVE NJBIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AWARD
Paulsboro, NJ - BP Environmental Manager Steve Pause(center) accepts the 2004 New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) Environmental Quality Award from NJBIA President Philip Kirschner (left) and NJBIA Board of Trustees Chairman J. Barton Luedeke (right). BP was one of eight companies that received awards at the association's annual Awards for Excellence Dinner held recently in Princeton.
Company Receives Annual NJBIA Environmental Quality Award For Paulsboro Remediation & Solar Power Field on Former Landfill
Paulsboro, NJ – BP America was honored for its "outstanding work to protect and enhance the quality of the natural environment” at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association's (NJBIA) 2004 Awards for Excellence Dinner held recently at the Westin Princeton. Steve M. Pause, BP environmental manager, accepted the award for the company's successful and ongoing environmental remediation of the 130-acre former oil and chemical storage facility and for the installation of a solar power field on an adjacent 60-acre site in Paulsboro.
"BP America is a perfect example of how perseverance can pay off," NJBIA President Philip Kirschner said. "For 23 years they worked to clean up environmental problems at a site they acquired. As a result of BP America's effort, the people of Paulsboro have a cleaner environment and a once useless property is being brought back to life. We are proud to present them with an NJBIA Award for Excellence."
According to Steve Pause, the Paulsboro project demonstrates BP's strong desire to go beyond its environmental obligation of restoring the soil and groundwater to acceptable criteria. "This project began in 1981 when BP began environmental investigation and clean-up work on the New Jersey Terminal site,” said Pause. "The facility was closed in 1996, but our work to restore the site to environmental and economic vitality continues,” he said.
To date, BP's clean-up efforts have led to the removal of 2,100 tons of hydrocarbons from the soil and groundwater; the recent demolition and removal of all remaining tanks and structures; and open space preservation and land conservation. Soil and groundwater conditions improve every day as the remediation progresses.
Equally important is the positive impact the remediation has had and will continue to have on the public health, welfare and economy of the community. BP formed a public-private partnership with the Borough of Paulsboro to facilitate open communication and to work together toward sustainable redevelopment of the site. This "Brownfield” project will stimulate the local and state economy immediately while BP continues its environmental clean-up efforts over the next 25 years.
Plans for reuse already include the construction of the largest solar power field on the East Coast, located on a former industrial landfill on the adjacent 60-acre Essex Chemical site. The solar project, inaugurated in April 2003, provides 30 percent of the energy needed for the remediation of the former terminal and is the first project in BP's efforts to promote productive reuse of the site. Plans also include the development of a deep-water port facility drawing more than $90 million in public and private investment.
BP America is among eight companies honored by NJBIA for their exceptional achievements in four different categories: Outstanding Employer, Environmental Quality, Public Service, and Enterprise. NJBIA's Awards for Excellence program, established in 1984, recognizes companies that make New Jersey a better place in which to live and work.
Contact:
Laura Bishop
856-642-6226, ext. 12
