On August 16th, the New York Attorney General announced, in a press release, a joint lawsuit with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) against the owners and operators of Liberty Scrap Metal Auto Parts & Recycling (LSM), for polluting the environment by releasing hazardous chemicals and oil.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is quoted, “If you make a mess, you clean it up. Most learn this old adage before they speak their first words, but it’s clear LSM never did. Instead, LSM flouted our environmental protection laws and mismanaged toxic chemicals and pollutants which pose a serious, long-term threat. LSM will not get away with knowingly jeopardizing the health and safety of our communities. It’s time they clean up the dangerous mess they have made.”
According to the press release, LSM ignored the regulations for disposing and cleaning toxic waste. This activity allegedly resulted in significant environmental damage, including oil spillage and groundwater contamination, to the nearby community of Jamaica, New York.
The lawsuit states, “For years they have operated the salvage yard in violation of New York’s Vehicle Dismantling Law, DEC petroleum bulk storage regulations, and the Oil Spill Law. The Salvage Yard has been a neighborhood eyesore and a source of contaminated runoff.”
