New Jersey sues to force pollution cleanup at 8 sites across state

New Jersey announced eight new lawsuits and other action against what it says are companies and individuals who’ve failed to clean up pollutants at sites across the state, the attorney general and top environmental official said Thursday.

The suits are aimed at forcing the remediation of pollutants such as gasoline and other chemicals that seeped into the ground, Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said in a statement.

The sites include former gas stations, chemical manufacturers and automotive mechanics across the state, from Camden and Washington Township in southern New Jersey to Newark and West Milford in the north.

‘Through these actions, we are sending a clear message: whether you pollute our air, our soil, or our water, we will hold you accountable. Our communities deserve no less,’ Platkin said in a statement.

Alongside the lawsuits, brought in state Superior Court, the officials said they issued a directive to a former industrial manufacturer located in Newark requiring it clean up volatile chemicals that seeped into the ground.

The lawsuits come as part of the state’s efforts under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy to rein in pollution in communities that have historically borne the brunt of contamination.

Since the governor took office in 2018, the attorney general’s office has filed some 56 so-called environmental justice suits, yielding $19 million in judgments, according to Platkin.