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Attorney General Neronha, DEM Director Gray issue statements following successful effort to shut down operations at Rhode Island Recycled Metals until further notice

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Director Terrence Gray today issued the following statements after today’s decision by Providence Superior Court Justice Brian P. Stern granting the State’s request for a temporary restraining order, thereby shutting down Rhode Island Recycled Metals until the Court accepts a plan for RIRM to safely reopen:

“We appreciate Judge Stern’s decision recognizing the inherent danger in allowing Rhode Island Recycled Metals to continue operating in a manner that has proven unsafe for Providence community members, particularly those in South Providence,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. “The Court’s decision to grant our motion, thereby shutting down operations for the foreseeable future, will ensure that South Providence won’t have to continue to bear the burden of significant health risks while this business figures out if it can operate safely. I look forward to the Special Master’s report and we will work diligently to make sure RIRM’s negligence doesn’t continue to harm South Providence.”

“DEM commends Judge Stern for his decision to address the longstanding environmental issues associated with this site. Today’s outcome is the result of a team effort between the Attorney General’s Office and DEM staff attorneys,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “We stand ready to hold RI Recycled Metals accountable and compel correction of the environmental violations at the site. That is what our community deserves.”

There appears to be a split in the Democratic Party over the GOP funding bill. House Democrats voted almost unanimously against the stopgap government funding bill, and are reportedly in a "complete meltdown" after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would support the bill ahead of tonight's deadline to avoid a government shutdown. A senior House Democrat told Axios that "people are furious" and are considering protesting on the Senate floor.        A federal judge in Maryland is ordering thousands of fired government employees be reinstated. Thursday evening, the judge issued a temporary restraining order against a dozen agencies that had fired their probationary employees. It came the same day that a judge in California also ruled some of the mass layoffs were unlawful.        Clean-up will continue today after a tornado touched down near Los Angeles during stormy weather on Thursday. The twister that hit Pico Rivera packed 85-mile-per-hour winds as it downed trees, damaged water lines and roofs. There were no reports of injuries.        JD Vance got a chilly reception at the Kennedy Center. The Vice President appeared at the performing arts center in Washington, DC Thursday night for a performance of Stravinsky by the National Symphony Orchestra, and was loudly booed by audience members as he took his seat. Last month, President Trump declared himself Chairman of the Kennedy Center and vowed to make it "great again." Since then, over 20 planned performances have been either canceled or postponed, including a production of "Hamilton."        NASA will try again this evening to launch a mission to retrieve two stranded astronauts from the International Space Station. Butch Wilmore and Suni [[ Sunny ]] Williams have been stuck on the ISS ever since their Boeing Starliner aircraft suffered mechanical issues that made it unsafe for them to return aboard it. They were finally supposed to get a step closer to coming home earlier this week thanks to NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, but the flight was scrubbed because of an issue with the Falcon 9 rocket.        We're celebrating Pi today. Pi Day honors the mathematical ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. But don't worry, you can celebrate Pi day even if you're not a math whiz as scores of businesses are taking advantage of the occasion to offer discounts - from pizza spots to bakeries across the country.       

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