Riverkeeper& NJ join forces to combat environmental crime

Secaucus polluter pays $130,000 in fines and restitution for fouling the Hackensack River

 

By Hugh M. Carola

 

On January 24 before a phalanx of reporters and television cameras, New Jersey State District Attorney Peter C. Harvey joined Assistant DEP Commissioner for Enforcement Lisa Jackson and Hackensack Riverkeeper Capt. Bill Sheehan to kick off New Jersey’s “Environmental Urban Initiative.” In his first official appearance after being named to the post by Governor McGreevey, Attorney General Harvey pledged that, “The Division of Criminal Justice and the Department of Environmental Protection are determined that our communities will not be dumping grounds and that the residents living in urban settings are not the forgotten New Jerseyans.”

 

 Flanking the podium were photographs and descriptions of environmental crimes from across the state that provided stark illustrations of the need to protect citizens from unscrupulous businesspeople-tuned-polluters looking to “cut corners.” “Sometimes the only thing polluters understand is a stay in the ‘Graybar Hotel,’” said Mr. Harvey, referring to James O’Brien, a former executive of Meadowlands Plating who was sentenced last November to 12 ½ years in prison for dumping hazardous waste in East Rutherford. Ms. Jackson added, “This initiative is a call to action for all residents and neighborhood groups who can aid us in our efforts to bring these criminals to justice.”

 

Secaucus was chosen for the event due to a recent judgment against Eastern Concrete Materials, Inc. and its Secaucus plant for knowingly polluting the Hackensack River with acid-laden wastewater and concealing that fact from NJDEP inspectors. “Hackensack Riverkeeper became involved last year when an anonymous informant contacted our Watershed Watch Hotline,” said Capt. Bill. “I then contacted the State Attorney General’s Office which conducted the investigation.” For its efforts and assistance, Attorney General Harvey presented Capt. Bill with a check for $30,000 which Eastern Concrete was forced to pay under a consent decree. Capt. Bill avowed, “This money will go a long way toward keeping our Watershed Watch on the job and on the lookout for polluters.”

 

Also attending the event were Chief State Investigator Anne M. Kriegner, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Betty Rodriguez, NY/NJ Baykeeper Andy Willner, Sierra Club Conservation Director Dennis Schvejda and a host of officials, state investigators, police officers, enforcement agents and Keeper staffers.