The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded funding to the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) to conduct research within the Meadowlands District .

Meri will measure the exchange rate of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases in marshlands that receive tidal waters of different levels of salinity.  These factors influence the natural storage of carbon and release of greenhouse gases from wetlands.  Over the next 3 years MERI will receive $511,381.00 in federal funding for research that will  inform decisions for wetland preservation and mitigation in the NJ Meadowlands.