New Jersey Begins to Pursue Environmental Justice Campaign

New Jersey’s Attorney General and Department of Environmental Protection continue to demonstrate that the new administration under Governor Phil Murphy will be aggressive in pursuing environmental claims. As a follow up to the six complaints the State filed earlier this year seeking to recover government expenses in conducting environmental remediations and natural resource damages, the State recently filed an additional eight complaints. These eight complaints focus on addressing pollution in minority and lower-income communities across the state as part of an “environmental justice” campaign. In support of the lawsuits, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal stated that the new administration intends to make New Jersey a national leader in environmental justice. Accordingly, it is very likely that additional complaints will be filed in the near future against companies liable for pollution in minority and lower-income communities. The eight lawsuits concern sites in Camden, Flemington, Palmyra, Pennsauken, Phillipsburg, Trenton, and two sites in Newark.

In addition to the lawsuits, Attorney General Grewal stated that his office is preparing a new section called the “Environmental Enforcement and Environmental Justice Section” which will bring enforcement actions and promote environmental justice across the state.