New Jersey officials announced five new environmental enforcement actions in communities c
onsidered overburdened under New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law and the settlement of two previous environmental justice lawsuits.
The latest lawsuits are against three gas stations in South Jersey, one gas station in North Jersey, and one gas statio
n in Central Jersey that officials allege are responsible for gasoline contamination of soil and groundwater. and failed to abide by prior administrative orders.
The two settlements resolve complaints the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) filed against Sigma R
ealty, Inc. in 2022 and Martin Service Center Corp. (MSCC) in 2023, owners of gas stations in Ewing and Union City, respectively.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced the actions, noting that gasoline is a pervasive polluta
nt in the soil and groundwater around fuel stations, threatening the environment as well as human and animal health.
“Gasoline contamination of our soil and groundwater has unfortunately become a ubiquitous issu
e for property owners across New Jersey, affecting rural communities, suburbs, and cities,” said Platkin.
DEP’s LaTourette said that low-income and minority communities have long borne the brunt of these contaminants.
Including these most recent complaints, the state has filed more than 80 civil environmental enforcement a
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ctions in overburdened communities since 2018, under the Murphy Administration. More
than three dozen have settled or resulted in favorable court judgements, resulting in more than $31 million in m
onetary damages and penalties for the state. Most of the remaining actions remain in pending litigation.
The cases as outlined by state officials are:
Settled Cases
Sigma Realty
Sigma Realty and its officers, Simon and Aglaia Siliverdis, acquired a former Ewing gas station in 1993, and fa
iled — for more than two decades — to remediate known petroleum contamination. DEP issues an administrative order and civil penalty for violations of the Spill Compensation and Control Act (Spill Act) and Br
ownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act (Brownfield Act) in 2020. DEP sued in 2022 to enforce the order, which included a penalty of $105,000. In July
2025, Sigma sold the property to a third party, which signed a separate agreement with DEP to complete the remediation and pay outstanding fees. Sigma and
its owners then resolved this lawsuit by paying a $117,500 civil penalty to DEP.