Paterson NJ Water Main Break Illustrates Insane Allocation of Federal Infrastructure Funding
Trump EPA Urged To Claw Back Federal Funds And Reallocate Them To Better Use
Over $225 Million In Federal Funds For A Fossil Power Plant That Will Never Operate, While No Money To Replace A 140 Year Old Water Main
(caption: down and out in Paterson, NJ - photo: Bill Wolfe)
I just watched the NJ Spotlight's story on the Paterson water main break.
It left me scratching my head.
The Passaic Valley Water Commission apparently lacks funds to replace a 140 year old drinking water main, while sister agency Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission has money to burn - literally - on an absurd $250 million back up fossil power plant that will never operate under restrictive prohibition in the DEP air permit.
I've filed a challenge to that NJ DEP Title V air permit to the US EPA.
That challenge is now pending before the US EPA, so I wrote US EPA Administrator Zeldin to highlight this insane misallocation of federal infrastructure funds in Passaic County, NJ.
EPA Administrator Zeldin and Trump have both made many inflammatory political statements opposing "woke" environmental shams and EPA has sought to claw back billions of dollars of Biden infrastructure funding.
Perhaps EPA will walk the talk and claw back the $250 million in federal FEMA funds to build this useless fossil power plant. Here's my letter today urging EPA to do so:
---------- Original Message ----------
From: Bill WOLFE <>
To: "Zeldin.lee@epa.gov" <Zeldin.lee@epa.gov>, "Ruvo.Richard@epa.gov" <Ruvo.Richard@epa.gov>
Date: 08/12/2025 9:26 AM EDT
Subject: Title V petition status - $200+ million federal funds
Dear EPA Administrator Zeldin - FYI, a 140 year old drinking water main serving the NJ city of Paterson broke and the city and suburbs have been on boil water restrictions since Friday, see NJ Spotlight news coverage:
https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/boil-water-advisory-in-paterson-after-water-main-break/
The water main break highlights an insane allocation of federal and State infrastructure resources.
The Passaic Valley Water Commission apparently has no money to replace a 140 year old water main, while sister agency the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission is spending over $225 million IN FEDERAL MONEY (a FEMA grant) on a new fossil power plant in Newark.
The PVSC power plant is backup power and very likely will never operate and generate power, under conditions in NJ DEP's Title V air permit (or only in a Sandy like emergency).
That is one of the grounds upon which I appealed the DEP air permit to EPA in what is known as a "Title V petition"
See the EPA database for the "pending" status of that:
https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database
My petition also challenges the "woke" aspects of the DEP permit, which were based on a blatantly illegal permit process (DEP issued retroactive EJ requirements, which violates a fundamental prohibition in administrative law) and the permit conditions limiting operation are a political concession based on an illegal environmental justice review.
Additionally, federal courts have ruled that EPA lacks authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate "disparate impact", cumulative impacts, and environmental justice concerns. That Court ruling forced the Biden EPA to abandon the EJ program in Clean Air Act permitting.
If the Trump EPA walks the talk, they should kill this DEP permit.
I urge you to inquire about this situation and kill the NJ DEP Title V permit and reallocate the federal funding to better uses.
Bill Wolfe