22 episodes
Hazard NJ NJ Spotlight News
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- Science
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4.9 • 47 Ratings
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New Jersey is home to the largest number of Superfund sites in the country – and while federal cleanup is underway – the bigger threat to them now is climate change. Flooding, fires, and rising sea levels could make life even harder for those who live nearby. Hazard NJ digs through the muck of each contaminated site to give a clearer picture of what the threat is and what it will take to clean it up before it’s too late. Hosted by journalist Jordan Gass-Poore’, produced by NJ Spotlight News.
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BONUS EPISODE: New taxes, new progress
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 Jersey.
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Shoring up flood protection for the Meadowlands
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.
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BONUS EPISODE: A Plan for Hudson River Muck
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 community. To learn more about the Quanta Resources site, check out Episode 7 of Hazard NJ “A Headache on the Hudson.”
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REWIND: Happy Earth Day from Hazard NJ
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 soon, but for now, here’s a look back at the second half of Season 1.
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BONUS EPISODE: Small Steps, Big Money for the Passaic
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.
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Episode 8: The Resurrection of Price’s Pit
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 harming.
Customer Reviews
Succeeds on multiple levels
This podcast does a few things exceptionally well:
(1) The narrator’s use of anecdotes paints a vivid picture of what these Superfund sites look like. I’m specifically thinking of Episode 1—that story about that man who nearly fell in the polluted lake bc it had eaten through the hull of the boat was crazy!
(2) The pacing is just right.
(3) Interviews are very thoughtful and the perspectives expressed are nuanced. The storyline is centered around community members and their stories. I like that community members are portrayed as people with a sense of agency who are capable of effecting policy changes. In that way, I’m also learning a lot about climate activism and grassroots organizing. It’s really eye-opening to hear the stories of people who have not only suffered the consequences of exposure to toxic pollutants, but have also had years of experience as foot soldiers in local environmental justice movements. Unlike nearly every other YouTube video I’ve seen or news article I’ve read about this topic, this podcast is centered around narratives of resistance to the status quo, as told by individual community members. Hazard NJ distinguishes itself because it avoids the all-too-common platitude of portraying the community members as helpless victims. The emphasis on community resistance is the undercurrent of hope that makes the podcast digestible and not one-dimensionally depressing (like a lot of other climate media).
(4) The podcast takes a pragmatic approach to climate/environmental issues: Identify the potential risks, and does a good jo” not just regurgitating the solutions, but critically analyzing them. It is clear that the EPA’s “solutions” are grossly inadequate for the scale of toxic dumping that took place in NJ. and It attempts to answer questions about portray community members as helpless victims and fails to center around resistanc; (b) A lot of climate/environment journalism just portrays residents as helpless victims and (unlike a lot of climate journalis avoids the avoids portraying the residents as helpless victims (despite the gross injustices that have been donecommunity members, they are avoids falling into the ultra-depressing, corporation-bashing
A necessary resource
This podcast adds necessary context to ongoing issues around climate change and severe weather. It’s New Jersey specific, but relevant to all of us regardless of where we are. Great job!
Excellent podcast that opened my eyes to an important and undercovered issue
I thought the podcast was beautifully delivered, with an investigative depth and seriousness of reporting, but also a relatable and unpretentious delivery. I’m now quite interested in learning more about superfund sites in New Jersey and how they are being affected by climate change and the passage of time.