Hazard NJ

Hazard NJ

Hazard NJ is an investigative series that will highlight the different ways climate change and extreme weather will impact hazardous Superfund sites across New Jersey.

Episodes

December 5, 2023 4 mins

It's been two years since the federal taxes that bring money to the Superfund program were reinstated, and the results are already being seen at pollution clean-ups around the nation. A recent report published by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America found that that billions of dollars are being collected, allowing previously stalled work at dozens of Superfund sites to finally move forward -- including 10 in New Jer...

Mark as Played

New Jersey's Meadowlands were swamped in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy washed ashore, causing widespread flooding in towns like Little Ferry along the Hackensack River. The next generation of flood protections for the area have been planned in the years since: Now, more than $46 million is being committed to bring those plans to life.

Mark as Played

In Edgewater, on the banks of the Hudson River and in the shadow of the glitzy Manhattan skyline, the Quanta Resources Superfund site is finally a big step closer to being cleaned up. Last month, the EPA unveiled a new plan to deal with pollution that has seeped into the Hudson River from the tainted land. It’s a major step for a site that has already spent decades on the Superfund list, at the heart of an urban, redeveloping commu...

Mark as Played
April 21, 2023 29 mins

Happy Earth Day from Hazard NJ and NJ Spotlight News! Thank you all for taking the time to listen to our podcast, and learn about the ways in which climate change is impacting some of New Jersey’s most toxic places. We’re happy to say that we are already working on our next season, which will take a hard look at a new pollution threat in the Garden State and beyond: PFAS, also called “forever chemicals.” We’ll have more on that soo...

Mark as Played

Small steps forward this week on the clean-up of the lower Passaic River, where past dumping of Agent Orange and other chemicals created a toxic mess that is now one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites. But that progress comes as one of the main companies on the hook for the work is pushing hard against a deal the EPA has made with other polluters.

Mark as Played

The decades-long drip, drip, drip of toxic chemicals from the Price Landfill in South Jersey reached crisis levels in the early '80s when the hazardous plume threatened to taint the water supply for the Atlantic City area. The site earned an emergency response and the reputation as the most polluted Superfund site in America. Now, more than 40 years later, Price Landfill has entered a new chapter…  And this time, it's helping not h...

Mark as Played

Efforts to clean up the lower stretch of the Passaic River are getting a $150 million boost, thanks to a new settlement between the federal government and 85 likely polluters. This stretch of the river, running through Newark and nearby towns, is coated with a lining of toxic mud, tainted by decades and decades of chemical dumping. Getting it cleaned up will be difficult – and expensive. At roughly $1.8 billion, the Passaic River i...

Mark as Played
December 8, 2022 31 mins

We’re bringing you a special episode from the podcast “Damages”, which examines court cases that matter in the fight against climate change. In this episode, “Damages” host Amy Westervelt takes listeners to Minnesota, where the rights of threatened wild rice (or manoomin in the Ojibwe language) are considered in the face of efforts to build the Line 3 pipeline across the state. Check it out, and be sure to follow “Damages” wherever...

Mark as Played
December 1, 2022 13 mins

In Edgewater, a bustling urban town across the Hudson River from Manhattan, a polluted lot of a former factory sits right on the water. Today it's a Superfund site being cleaned up, set to one day become a piece of prime real estate for redevelopment. But that cleanup has created problems of its own, and as the process drags on, the threat of flooding from the river grows.

Mark as Played
November 23, 2022 15 mins

We’re bringing you a special episode from the podcast “Drilled”, which scrutinizes the powers that have long profited from unfettered fossil fuel use. In this episode, “Drilled” host Amy Westervelt takes a look at how the oil and gas industry has pushed to portray environmentalists as idealists detached from reality, in an effort to undercut campaigns against fossil fuels. Check it out, and be sure to follow “Drilled” wherever you ...

Mark as Played
November 10, 2022 21 mins

The Pinelands, a million-acre swath of pine forest dominating South Jersey, is one of America’s most unique environments. The Pinelands have always been a place prone to catch fire and today, climate change is making the area’s wildfire season more unpredictable. The fear is not only fire, but it’s impact on the area’s legacy of toxic illegal dumping.

Mark as Played

We’re bringing you a special episode from our friends at “The Sweaty Penguin” podcast, which dives deep (with a bit of humor!) on all things climate change. In this episode, “The Sweaty Penguin” crew takes a look at the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, and what it does and does not do for the climate. Check it out, and be sure to follow “The Sweaty Penguin”, another show made possible by the Peril & Promise initiative, wherever ...

Mark as Played

The National Lead company spent years in the 1970s recycling car batteries at a factory in rural South Jersey, haphazardly draining battery acid onto the ground. The pollution left dangerous heavy metals in the site's soil and groundwater --- a mess that is now on the verge of being cleaned up. But in an area along Delaware Bay, sea level rise is slowly pushing a new potential problem into the ground.

Mark as Played
September 30, 2022 22 mins

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio, who wrote the Superfund law back in 1980, died this week at age 85. In this bonus episode, we reflect on Florio’s efforts to clean up New Jersey and America’s toxic messes, and we revisit our interview with him earlier this year.

Mark as Played

Hazard NJ is returning with four new episodes this fall, to take fresh new looks about the relationship between the Garden State's most toxic Superfund sites and climate change. Get ready for the new shows with a look back at some highlights from our first four episodes, and keep an eye on your podcast feeds: Episode 5 drops on September 28.

Mark as Played

It’s official: The Hackensack River is New Jersey’s 115th Superfund site. EPA officials gathered with state and local leaders this week to announce the big news, which puts the polluted lower reaches of the river in line for a major cleanup that is expected to cost billions of dollars.

Mark as Played
The Superfund program was designed to be paid for by a tax on chemical and oil companies,  but that tax expired years ago, and the program has been strapped for cash since.    But that has changed in recent months. Last fall, the chemical tax was brought back as part of the massive federal infrastructure bill. And oil tax has returned as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed today by President Joe Biden.   NJ Spotli...
Mark as Played

The mud lining the Hackensack River is a mysterious mixture known to contain mercury, cadmium, lead, PCBs and plenty more nasty substances. Now the river is on its way to becoming New Jersey’s 115th Superfund site — and that’s not a bad thing.

Superstorm Sandy slammed up the Hackensack and surrounding Meadowlands, flooding towns and wrecking widespread damage. But the area’s wetlands likely blunted the blow, and with climate change...

Mark as Played
June 21, 2022 40 mins

In July 2005, Roger De Groat stepped outside his home in the secluded, forested community of Upper Ringwood to find a hole the size of a swimming pool where his backyard used to be. Roger’s home, like the rest in the neighborhood, sits atop an extensive system of abandoned iron mines, and sinkholes like these have opened every so often for decades.

  But what's in the mines is a different kind of lingering threat.   Ford Motor Comp...
Mark as Played

The chemical company Diamond Alkali, one of the nation's main producers of Agent Orange, spent years dumping chemical waste into the Passaic River and polluting Newark's Ironbound neighborhood. In the early 80's, state and federal authorities pledged to clean the mess up but today, nearly 40 years later, toxic mud still lies beneath the water. Now the cleanup is facing a $1.8 billion price tag, an uncertain timeline, and the growin...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

    How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. Plus, entertaining stories from a combined 21 years in the league, off-field interests, and engaging conversations with special guests. Watch and listen to new episodes every Wednesday during the NFL season & check us out on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok for all the best moments from the show.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.