On Friday, February 21, EMR Metal Recycling in Camden ignited in its sixth scrap yard fire since 2016, with blazing plumes of black smoke that could be seen many miles away. The air quality impacts were obvious across the county and most acute for city residents, especially those in the Waterfront South neighborhood, a community that is also forced to live alongside the heavily polluting Covanta trash incinerator. Residents were advised to remain indoors, and many were displaced from their homes until the smoke cleared away.

EMR has been a corporate bad actor for years now. Elected officials have refused to take necessary action to hold EMR accountable for damages done to public health. Why? Because the CEO of EMR, Joe Balzano Jr, is a close associate of George Norcross. The Norcross brothers– George, Donald, and Phil– helped EMR and Balzano win a $133 million tax break for moving to Camden.

Once again, the Norcross machine is endangering community health and well being in Camden County. Cronyism and EMR political donations have ensured silence and inaction by the city, county, state, and federal officials who should be demanding real change from EMR but have consistently failed to do so, at the expense of the health of some of the state’s poorest residents. EMR has been fined by OSHA for endangering its employees but in Camden, all that elected officials have demanded was a sham “public hearing” with the community after the last fire.

The Camden County Board of Commissioners released a statement in 2021, affirming their commitment to social justice.

These fires and lack of accountability cannot be allowed to continue, especially when those most vulnerable to the deleterious effects are subsidizing their operations with their own personal taxes. Join us in sending a message to Camden City Mayor Vic Carstarphen, Camden County Commissioner Director Lou Cappelli, State Representatives Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Bill Moen, and Bill Spearman, and Congressman Donald Norcross. Tell them they must take action to stop these repeat fires! Machine politics is endangering public health. We call on our legislators and lawmakers to use the full power of their political machine to back up their lip service and PR with action!