On Monday, the Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of identical bills which will allow private contractors to have more authority to oversee and perform site cleanups.

While environmental groups expressed concern about oversight, legislators and the Department of Environmental Protection touted the legislation as a practical and necessary move to eliminate a backlog of more than 20,000 contaminated sites across the state.

According to the Star Ledger:

The bill, expected to be signed by Gov. Jon Corzine, creates a 13-member board of public and private officials, including environmental advocates. The board will license consultants and engineers to perform cleanups. State officials can review their work, but will focus primarily on setting timetables, enforcing rules and directly overseeing the most complicated projects.

Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said current policies, which require government approval every step of the way, do more harm than good.

“The system is irretrievably broke,” he said. “It is just a drain on our economy and a drain on our environment.”

The measure passed the Senate and Assembly by wide margins yesterday.

The board will be required to audit at least 10 percent of all cleanup efforts, and environmental advocates are concerned that’s not enough to ensure contractors — called licensed site professionals — are getting the job done right. Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club said he is nervous business interests on the board will consistently overrule other voices.

“This is really selling out public health and safety,” he said.

Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, defended the changes.

“Nothing in the law compromises cleanup standards,” she said.

For the full text of A2962, click here.

For the full Star Ledger article, click here.