NJ Hits Accused Newark Polluters With 'Environmental Justice Actions'

NEWARK, NJ — Two sites in Newark are among several with “toxic legacies” impacting their communities, New Jersey state officials announced Thursday as part of a statewide enforcement sweep.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) made a joint announcement about their latest round of environmental justice actions (see the full list here).

They include two involving Newark, prosecutors said:

Canrad Hanovia (100 Chestnut Street) – “This NJDEP-issued directive requires the responsible parties to remediate widespread contamination of soil and groundwater caused by former industrial operations, including contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause numerous health effects. The current owner failed to complete remediation of the site and failed to maintain the remediation funding source. The responsible parties include Canrad, Inc. (previous owner), Sumo Realty, Inc. (current owner), BASF Catalysts, LLC (successor Engelhard Corp.), Citigroup Global Markets Holdings, Inc. (successor Engelhard Minerals & Chemical Corp.), Engelhard Hanovia, Inc., and Hanovia Specialty Lighting, LLC (successor prior operator).”

MJ & Sons (multiple locations, companies/defendants) – “This lawsuit seeks to address the operation of illegal solid waste transport and storage businesses and dumping on innocent property owners. The complaint centers on flagrant and repeated violations that disregard NJDEP orders. Defendants consist of a mix of private individuals and the companies they own and operate including, but not limited to, Walter Miranda, Miriam Miranda, and their corporations MJSons Excavating and MJ & Sons Contractors Trucking.”

The attorney general’s office released the following statement about the enforcement actions:

“The eight new matters include five environmental justice actions centering on a broad array of toxic pollutants that have tainted overburdened communities at two separate, unrelated sites in Newark; a site in Fort Lee; a site in Milltown; and a site in Camden. These communities are considered overburdened under New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law because they have significant low-income, minority, and/or limited-English proficiency populations. Three additional lawsuits filed today focus on requiring responsible parties to clean up contamination and recovering costs the NJDEP incurred in addressing that contamination at other sites.”

Two environmental justice case settlements that resolve prior lawsuits by the state were also announced.

Including the lawsuits filed Thursday, the attorney general’s office and NJDEP have filed a total of 56 environmental justice cases in overburdened communities since 2018. To date, the lawsuits have yielded nearly $19 million in judgments.

• See Related: NJ Activists Hope For 'Turning Point' With Environmental Justice Law

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