Carteret, NJ – Touring the Kinder Morgan redevelopment site on September 29, Mayor Dan Reiman said that construction is well underway on the Kinder Morgan redevelopment project, calling for the addition of new storage and blending facilities.
The project will allow for 1,035,000 million gallons of biodiesel storage and processing, and ultimately provide new connections to SUN, Colonial, and Buckeye regional pipelines, making the Carteret facility the 2nd largest operated by Kinder Morgan next to that of Pasadena, California.
The new tanks will make use of property that formerly hosted “Brite Clean,” used for truck cleaning and maintenance, and adjacent to Kinder Morgan’s existing facilities. Working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Kinder Morgan has treated and either recycled or removed over 22,000 tons of contaminated soil left by Brite Clean.
Kinder Morgan’s project proposal was first presented to the Borough in 2008, and received initial Planning Board approval on January 27 2010. In March, Mayor Reiman and representatives from Kinder Morgan signed a 30-year redevelopment agreement, officially authorizing the company to reutilize 14 acres of “brownfields” in the Borough’s Industrial Avenue light industrial district (Kinder Morgan Redevelopment Area).
Borough officials anticipate that the town will earn $30.2 million over the first 30 years of the agreement, and has since praised the project for creating 75-100 union construction jobs, and the eventual creation of long-term shipping and operations positions.
Redevelopment fees generated by the project have provided an additional $1 million towards the construction of the Borough’s anticipated “Health & Wellness Center,” according to Reiman, while the agreement has allowed for another $300,000 for off-site aesthetic improvements along Industrial Highway.
Mayor Reiman has praised Kinder Morgan, the Borough’s most substantial taxpayer, for its history of involvement in local improvements. Most recently these have included public library enhancements, the donation of a foam fire truck to the Carteret Fire Department, and becoming a partner in the HAZMAT Agreement Association, which will provide $300,000 per year in specialized training and equipment to Carteret’s emergency service departments.
“For 80 years Kinder Morgan has strengthened our commercial backbone and sustained private sector jobs,” Reiman added, “but has also gone the extra mile in recognizing its obligation to Borough residents. From quality of life enhancements to improvements to public safety, Kinder Morgan has been a true friend to Carteret, and a partner in its continuing growth.”
Kinder Morgan has announced that construction on the first 3 tanks should be complete by June 2011, and the remaining 4 by September.
