In what is considered one of the largest pollution fines in the history of New Jersey, Columbia Terminals Inc. of Kearny has agreed to pay $1.3 million in penalties for illegally disposing of chemicals and for insurance fraud.
In accepting the plea, Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Callahan ordered the company to pay fines and restitution totaling $1.3 million. Of that amount, the company is to pay the Hackensack Riverkeeper, the citizen stewardship organization dedicated to protecting the Hackensack River, $100,000 to support environmental preservation.
Kathryn Flicker, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, said this was one of the largest criminal penalties ever imposed on an environmental polluter in New Jersey.
Columbia Terminals and its owner, Stephen Fiverson, 58, of Livingston, pleaded guilty Aug. 17 in a Superior Court hearing to unlawfully collecting, storing and disposing hazardous waste between June 24 and Nov. 18, 1999. The facility is located on the banks of the Hackensack River in Kearny.
The company also admitted to misrepresenting facts surrounding a 1999 fire, causing an insurance company to pay to dispose of some material that was not damaged in the fire but was actually hazardous waste.
In addition to the fine, the company must also undertake a full-scale cleanup of its site under DEP supervision and post a $500,000 bond to cover cleanup costs.
"[This] action sends a strong signal that the state of New Jersey has no tolerance for those who would disregard our environment in this manner," said DEP Commissioner Bob Shinn. "Most businesses in New Jersey accept their responsibility to uphold our environmental laws and regulations, but those who do not will face very serious consequences, as this case demonstrates."
Columbia Terminals is a public bulk liquid storage and warehouse facility located on the Hackensack River in South Kearny. Its bulk storage includes tanks ranging in size from 27,500 to 500,000 gallons. Tank materials of construction are carbon steel, aluminum and stainless steel. The entire facility is designed and built to include storage of flammable products and hazardous materials.
"This is a perfect example of enlightened environmental policy," added Captain Bill Sheehan, Executive Director of the Hackensack Riverkeeper. "Having a polluter pay a Keeper program to continue its work and mission will prove to be an excellent investment for New Jersey – and would work anywhere."
Columbia Terminals Inc. also must give a combined $125,000 to the Northeast Environmental Enforcement Project, which helps train environmental regulators and prosecutors, and to the Appalachian Mountain Club, a conservation and recreation group.
Sheehan said the fine could be put toward providing his organization with a permanent headquarters near the river, as well as the purchase of new equipment that would help step up his patrols of the endangered waterway.
The Riverkeeper’s current officers are located at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Teaneck campus.