Assembly committee advances multiple environment bills after Camden recycling‑facility fire testimony

Trap‑door‑style fires at recycling and shredding operations and the wider question of who pays for cleanup and public health prompted hours of testimony and several committee actions at the Assembly Environment and Energy Committee hearing. The committee released or amended bills addressing scrap‑metal facilities, automotive shredder residue (ASR), subsidy clawbacks for environmental violators, PFAS in firefighting gear, statewide organic‑waste targets and a broad packaging producer‑responsibility bill.

The hearing opened with a sponsor presentation on a three‑bill package — A5533, A5534 and A5535 — described as a response to the Feb. 21, 2025 fire at the EMR recycling facility in Camden. An unnamed assemblymember who introduced the package said A5533 would tighten requirements for the receipt and purchase of scrap metal containing propulsion batteries. A5534 would require businesses found responsible for violating environmental laws to forfeit a portion of state subsidies into a new Environmental Incident Recovery Fund. A5535 would classify automotive shredder residue as hazardous waste and require DEP permitting for facilities that store or process it.

Angel Fuentes, identified in the transcript as a former assemblyman and "current Camden City Council president," told the committee the EMR fire was "not just an industrial fire. It was an environmental and public health emergency that unfolded in the heart of a residential community," and urged members to advance the bills to protect Waterfront South and similar neighborhoods.

Local agencies and utilities offered technical context. Scott Schreiber, executive director of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, said the wastewater treatment plant that serves about 500,000 residents is roughly 60–65 yards from the EMR site and warned that a disruption in pumping or power could…