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New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette have filed a public nuisance lawsuit against EMR, the operator of a metal scrapyard in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood.
The suit, filed Monday in Superior Court, alleges that at least 12 hazardous fires took place at the facility in the last five years, including a massive fire last February that prompted dozens of nearby residents to evacuate. The yard has been cited for numerous violations in the past.
“It’s been time and time again that they’ve consistently put their own profits ahead of the safety and well-being of the residents of the Camden community, and we’re putting a stop to it,” Platkin told WHYY News on Monday evening.
Messages to EMR’s headquarters, based in Camden, have not been returned.
Environmental advocates and residents affected by the fire said they are glad the state is taking action.
“This really gives credibility to the many years of complaints that residents in Camden and in other communities around the state that have to live near scrap metal facilities,” said Jon Compton, executive director of the Center for Environmental Transformation, a nonprofit organization in Camden.
In the 152-page lawsuit, which includes exhibits and centers on EMR’s operations in Camden, officials allege EMR created a high risk of fires on its lots and, despite knowing about the risks, failed to take corrective action. Officials want EMR to take immediate action to end hazardous conditions at its facilities.
“We are using the tools at our disposal to protect every resident,” Platkin said. “I say this as the attorney general and as a parent, every child deserves to live in a community where they’re not enduring asthma or other harmful health effects because a company doesn’t care about causing fires in the neighborhood.”