WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's administration named three New Jersey locations -- more than any other state -- to a list of 21 Superfund sites to be immediately cleaned up.

The sites are in Bridgewater, Bergen County and Newark.

As an indication of the importance placed on these sites, cleanup efforts will be monitored by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who will receive regular progress reports.

"Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites," Pruitt said. "By getting these sites cleaned up, EPA will continue to focus on ways we can directly improve public health and the environment for people across America."

The EPA also will turn its attention to other Superfund sites as well with an eye towards cleaning them all up. New Jersey has 116 such sites, more than any other state.

The announcement does not come with the promise of attentional funds, and Trump's proposed budget would cut federal funding for the program by $330 million to $762 million. The administration earlier said the savings would come through reducing administrative costs.

"This list appears to be nothing more than a list of sites with upcoming actions for which the administrator wants to take credit," said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

"The National Priority List already identifies the most dangerous sites which are the top priorities for cleanup. Issuing this new arbitrary list has created confusion for community groups around Superfund sites nationwide."

The three New Jersey sites are:

American Cyanamid. Located in Bridgewater, the 435-acre site was used to make chemicals and pharmaceuticals for more than nine decades. Wyeth Holdings, which currently owns the site, has taken steps to prevent benzene from seeping into the Raritan River, and other work is in progress. Wyeth, a subsidiary of Pfizer, has agreed to spend $194 million on some remediation.

Berry's Creek Study Area (Ventron/Velsicol site). Mercury, methyl mercury and PCBs are on the site, which includes about six miles of waterway that connects to the Hackensack River. The EPA is expected to decide next year whether to propose interim steps while the study of the entire area continues.

Diamond Alkali. The site includes the former Diamond Alkali manufacturing facility in Newark, 17 miles of the lower Passaic River from Dundee Dam to Newark Bay, and the Newark Bay Study Area, which includes the bay and parts of the Hackensack River, Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull.

Chemicals include DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs, mercury and pesticides. A $1.4 billion cleanup plan has been selected for the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River while studies of the entire river continue.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.