U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) joined colleagues in the House of Representatives today to pass HR 2419 – the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006. The final bill included funding directly requested by Smith for crucial projects along New Jersey’s coastline. Smith has worked with many local and state officials for several years to secure critical federal funding for southern Monmouth County shore towns in the Fourth Congressional District as well as the Ocean County shore towns within the Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet Shore Protection project. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), dean of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation, spearheaded a letter asking President Bush to grant the state’s request to declare New Jersey a federal disaster area. The letter was signed by each member of the New Jersey delegation in the House of Representatives. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on Sunday joined local officials including Harry Conover, the county’s emergency management coordinator, and Tom Powers, Freeholder Director, to assess areas of Monmouth and Ocean Counties that were severely damaged by floods. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the affected areas as flooding continued to spread late last week and on Saturday. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) again has stood firm against special interests by voting against H.R. 3824, the "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act," (TERSA). The legislation would eliminate important requirements in the current Endangered Species Act (ESA) that currently protect the critical habitat of America’s endangered wildlife – an issue of great concern in New Jersey. While the bill was approved in the House of Representatives by a 229-193 vote, it still needs to be approved in the Senate. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith today announced that the Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to repair storm damaged bulkheads along the Point Pleasant Canal. Read more

The premier US agency charged with investigating government procedures, mistakes and general policy implications has agreed to Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-Hamilton) request for a comprehensive examination of the actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency in response to the discovery of asbestos at the site of the former W.R. Grace/Zonolite plant in Hamilton, New Jersey. Read more

The federal government’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) preliminary testing indicates the air is clear around the former W.R.Grace plant in Hamilton Township. Rep. Chris Smith said, “The EPA’s initial report on air quality following the W.R Grace Company fire is positive news for Hamilton and Lawrence Township residents who live near the former plant.” The U.S. EPA deployed 15 air-monitoring stations in a two-mile radius around the former paper shredding plant on Hamilton’s Industrial D... Read more

Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, has teamed up with Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) in requesting an investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) into the actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to significant asbestos contamination at the former W.R. Grace/Zonolite plant in Hamilton, New Jersey. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) hosted nearly a dozen key officials today from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), and the Acting Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to receive a comprehensive briefing on the environmental remediation and community health surveillance related to the former W.R. Grace Zonolite facility in Hamilton, New Jersey. The Zonolite plant has been selected for further study because it processed a form of vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana that has been found to contain a dangerous form of asbestos. Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) will host a meeting on Monday where area residents and emergency responders will be able to speak with federal and state pipeline safety officials to address concerns they have about a 7.5 mile natural gas pipeline being constructed through the Groveville Section of the township. Read more