NY/NJ Baykeeper

07/21/2026

NY/NJ Baykeeper is glad to join and support Waterspirit's Climate Cafe in Keyport.

PLEASE JOIN US at this special event - a Keyport Climate Cafe. Wednesday July 22, 2026 from 7 PM - 9 PM at Community Church of Keyport's Fellowship Hall. THIS EVENT IS FREE.

Join Waterspirit’s facilitated conversation with Rachel Dawn Davis and Scott Carlin. Keyport and neighboring communities are rightfully concerned about the local cluster of cancer cases. Residents are processing a range of emotions.

This gathering is an opportunity to share personal experiences and emotions, and help strengthen local resilience. Speaking from our hearts is a proven strategy for processing grief and anger and cultivating active hope for a healthier future.

This event is co-sponsored by Waterspirit, NY/NJ Baykeeper, and the Community Church of Keyport.

REGISTRATION is REQUIRED. Link is in the comments below. Attendance will be capped at 25.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Community Church of Keyport, Fellowship Hall, 25 Division St., Keyport, NJ

07/21/2026

NY/NJ Baykeeper is glad to join and support Waterspirit's Climate Cafe in Keyport

Join our FREE Keyport Climate Cafe on July 22nd at 7pm! Rachel Davis & Scott Carlin will facilitate this conversation inspired by the .org to provide a confidential, supportive space to explore your fears, despair, and anger, strengthen community, and explore effective actions in light of the suspected cancer cluster.

The Climate Cafe will take place at the Community Church of Keyport at 42 Elizabeth Street, Keyport, NJ 07735. Register at https://waterspirit.org/events-calendar or link in bio.

07/02/2026

Join us for two special mid‑summer paddles marking the 110th anniversary of the 1916 Matawan Creek shark attack. These tours explore the creek’s tidal habitats, wildlife, and estuarine ecology, along with a visit to the shark mural that commemorates the historic events of 1916. Paddle with Baykeeper staff and experience how this unique ecosystem continues to shape the region’s coastal story.

Tour Details
July 11 • 12:00 to 3:00/3:30 PM
July 12 • 9:00 to 12:00/12:30 PM
Meet at the beach by Keyport Boat Ramp

Spots are limited. Reserve your kayak and join us on the water for this anniversary paddle.

https://secure.everyaction.com/KVc9sVPDDEGYwWECInCPvg2?contactdata=B+BQS5ayltL%2fY8O6a6eCkzhaCozqKAkSqwCWVOGkXImmTgBjG9%2f3ZHqeLIrdln+CphjbcjN3MTwiaAVG8Y9APf24dmIA3FOlRAdqt1nk17A%3d&sourceid=1123974&emci=19354628-a775-f111-ac9c-000d3a54bed0&emdi=0e10e2c1-2f76-f111-ac9c-000d3a14b6d6&ceid=10860366

https://secure.everyaction.com/biuWdENF_kO4dr6Ll8hq8A2?contactdata=B+BQS5ayltL%2fY8O6a6eCkzhaCozqKAkSqwCWVOGkXImmTgBjG9%2f3ZHqeLIrdln+CphjbcjN3MTwiaAVG8Y9APf24dmIA3FOlRAdqt1nk17A%3d&sourceid=1123974&emci=19354628-a775-f111-ac9c-000d3a54bed0&emdi=0e10e2c1-2f76-f111-ac9c-000d3a14b6d6&ceid=10860366

06/29/2026

Passaic River CAG Co-Chairs pen op-ed to hold OXY accountable for the cleanup of the river.

The Polluters Pay Act would shift $50 billion in climate costs from New Jersey families to the corporations responsible for the damage, without raising gas prices.

06/23/2026

Our 2026 kayak season is just getting started!

Our summer guided tours continue this Saturday, June 27, with an evening paddle to Staten Island’s historic Ships’ Graveyard. Join NY/NJ Baykeeper for an unforgettable trip through one of the harbor’s most iconic and haunting maritime landmarks.

Saturday, June 27, 2026
Check‑in at 5:00 PM
Paddle ends around 8:00–8:30 PM
Captain Carlsen Park, Sewaren, NJ

This guided tour takes you through the unique remains of historic vessels while exploring the wildlife and coastal landscape of the Arthur Kill. It’s a rare chance to experience the water from a completely different perspective.

Spots are limited. Register through the link below

Let’s keep the season going strong.

https://secure.everyaction.com/Hbl5qqVJd0eBppIe74BvGQ2?sourceid=1123738&emci=cc4fad0c-5b6e-f111-8fcb-000d3a14b6d6&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=%7B%7BContactsEmailID%7D%7D

06/10/2026

NY/NJ Baykeeper Files Motion to Intervene to Hold OxyChem Accountable for Passaic River Cleanup Costs

NY/NJ Baykeeper has filed a Motion to Intervene in BASF Catalysts LLC, et al. v. Occidental Chemical Corporation (a Texas Corporation) to oppose OxyChem TX’s attempt to use corporate restructuring and legal maneuvers that could be used to evade its responsibility for funding the cleanup of the Passaic River.

Many parties responsible for contaminating the Passaic River have agreed to pay their fair share of the costs associated with the river’s remediation and restoration. OxyChem, however, is responsible for more than 90 percent of the contamination, including highly toxic dioxins, and has spent decades fighting efforts to hold it accountable. Through litigation, public relations campaigns, and misinformation tactics, the company has repeatedly sought to avoid paying the costs associated with the environmental damage it caused.

Now, OxyChem is pursuing a corporate reorganization that could shield the company from its cleanup obligations, placing the ongoing remediation effort, public health, and New Jersey taxpayers at significant risk.

NY/NJ Baykeeper’s motion seeks to ensure that OxyChem remains financially accountable for the cleanup and to the communities that have endured more than forty years of contamination in the Passaic River, as well as to the broader NY/NJ Harbor Estuary ecosystem.

For decades, the Ironbound Community Corporation, the EPA Citizens Advisory Group for the Passaic River Superfund Site, NY/NJ Baykeeper and others have worked tirelessly to secure the cleanup and restoration of the Lower Passaic River by the parties responsible for its contamination.
Allowing OxyChem to escape its obligations would undermine the polluter-pays principle and jeopardize one of the most important environmental restoration efforts in New Jersey.

06/08/2026

NY/NJ Baykeeper continues to work toward the proper closure and cleanup of the Aeromarine landfill site in Keyport. For decades, this unsealed toxic dump has leached contaminants into Raritan Bay and potentially into nearby neighborhoods. Recent reporting on unusually high numbers of cancer cases among residents has renewed public concern, and like many others, we are awaiting the results of ongoing testing that may help determine whether there is any connection. Those results are expected within the next 3–4 weeks.

We’re grateful to Taylor McFarland, Conservation Program Director for the Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter and a Keyport resident, for her continued leadership and advocacy on this issue. We also thank the Sierra Club for publishing this important opinion piece in their newsletter.

Our CEO and Baykeeper, Greg Remaud, wrote an in‑depth article outlining the history of the Aeromarine site, the decades of contamination, and the urgent need for a transparent, community‑driven plan to finally close and remediate the landfill. You can read the full piece through the link below.

Photo/Video Credit: News 12 New Jersey

https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey/blog/2026/06/keyport-contamination-raises-fresh-concerns

05/15/2026

"Drastic cuts by the Trump Administration to EPA staff responsible for Superfund cleanups have put the health of millions of people at risk.

Cleanup efforts along the 19-mile Superfund site on the Passaic River, the 18-mile Superfund site on the Hackensack River, multiple Superfund sites along the Raritan River, and the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site and others will now face major delays — or be left contaminating waterways and communities indefinitely."

We thank Congressman Frank Pallone for being such an extraordinary advocate and fighter to clean New Jersey's Superfund sites.

Trump has eliminated one third of the EPA regional staffing that serves the state, making progress 'nearly impossible,' Pallone says

05/06/2026

The Sherill Administration has quickly demonstrated its determination to move NJDEP away from natural resource protection to an overly developer friendly agency.

First by only adding permit processors, but no parks or enforcement staff to an already depleted NJDEP. Now, outrageously allowing pollution to go unreported.

THE NEW POLLUTION — Sherrill admin does away with pollution reporting rule change, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard, Marie J. French and Mona Zhang: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Department of Environmental Protection nixed a rule change that would have required more reporting of known pollution, marking a sharp departure from a Murphy era proposal the commercial real estate industry opposed. A rule change, proposed in fall 2024, would have closed what the Murphy DEP considered to be a loophole in the state’s environmental laws. The decision not to change a relatively obscure rule shows how Sherrill is open to hearing industry concerns and avoiding what her administration considers to be unnecessary red tape. Currently, property owners must report pollution to state regulators. But when someone interested in buying land discovers pollution while researching the property, they don’t have to report the pollution unless they eventually buy the land. The DEP proposed a rule to “close the loop” and eliminate scenarios where a potential buyer would find contamination, back out of the purchase and then never have to tell anyone about it.

https://url4027.email.politico.com/ss/c/u001.lWesBdxv006jasBZWiiGk9P_ybPe2CGyS-6CLrg5BxZGfZS3TDSTqdEhMWY4IFGQFVKbJqJ3zIHnsPE1tRQptwkf5AnBqKr8vb1J1PuO4kjBTmcudBrwdNvTHWNugwZxmN9ppVWlCtX46I1r42S-CYBm9eUz1Ue2zD-MERR1ZLhbOByVzOr6_L4FXubzdo5C/4qe/bVRJkIb1Sru99F6YUv2jzg/h8/h001.MkaAwXrHrFS-9SjRdBqkQczr9lUdn1AFgfo6QgHI3lc

05/05/2026