Anne Milgram (D)
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) -- New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that the state will be receiving $4 million to pay for the cleanup of what was once one of the nation's worst landfills.
Milgram, along with Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson, made the announcement.
Under the agreement, more than 50 defendants will pay the state to cover past clean up costs and future site remediation of the Florence Land Recontouring Landfill.
"This settlement represents an important outcome for the residents of New Jersey and for our environment," the Democratic attorney general said.
The defendants -- a mixture of corporations, individuals, state agencies and municipalities -- have agreed to pay the state $3.7 million for clean up and $337,000 to the DEP in natural resource damages related to groundwater and soil contamination.
The 86-acre landfill was in operation from 1973 through 1981 in Florence, Mansfield and Springfield Townships in Burlington County.
"Through this agreement, we are recovering costs incurred by DEP to clean up this toxic dump - one of the nation's worst -- and we are obtaining compensation for damage to our state's precious natural resources. Working with DEP, we remain committed to using litigation to protect our environment," Milgram said.
The settlement resolves a suit filed by the Division of Law in December 2004 against parties suspected of contaminating the landfill, which is currently in its operation and maintenance phase. The state DEP is the lead agency for the ongoing cleanup project.
The defendants have been named as the following:
Owner-Operator Group: A&S Transportation Co., Anthony Amadei (Estate of), John K. Atkin, Alton W. Cross, Jr. (Estate of), David Ehrlich, Florence Land Development Co., Florence Land Development, Inc., Florence Land Recontouring, Inc., Jersey Environmental Management Services, Inc., Jerome Kotzen, George Kudra (Estate of), Ernest N. Sever (Estate of), Spectraserv, Inc. and Richard Winn.
Transporter Group: ACR, Inc., Almo Anti-Pollution Services, BFI Waste Systems of New Jersey, Inc., Delaware Valley Scrap Co., Inc., Delorenzo Twin County Disposal, Inc., Environmental Waste Control, Gorski Trash Removal, Inc., Hems Brothers, Inc., J. Vinch and Sons, Inc., J.P. Mascaro & Sons, Inc., J.R. Clark Disposal, Joseph R. Clark, Mannor Care, inc., Northeast Disposal, inc., Portfolio One, Inc., Mike Spano and Sons, Inc., Roland Hems, T&L Container Service, Inc., TDS Inc., The O'Connor Corporation, Tinari Contractors, Inc., Waste Automation and Waste Management of Pennsylvania, Inc.
Commercial Generator Group: EPEC Polymers, Inc., Hercules Incorporated, Occidental Chemical Corpand Public Service Electric and Gas Co.
Governmental Generator Group One: New Jersey Department of Corrections, New Jersey Department of Treasury and the Borough of Palmyra. NJ Department of Law and Public Safety / Office of the Attorney General: Divisions --- Alcoholic Beverage Control - Civil Rights - Consumer Affairs - Criminal Justice - Gaming Enforcement - Highway Traffic Safety - Law - Racing - State Police - Juvenile Justice Commission.
Governmental Generator Group Two: Beverly Sewerage Authority, City of Bordentown, Delanco Township, Delran Sewerage Authority, Florence Township, Hamilton Township, Maple Shade Township, North Hudson Sewerage Authority and the Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority.