Alexandra Leslie and Eli Sherman
7 mins ago
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — With lawyers poised to argue Friday over the future of an embattled Providence scrap-metal yard that caught on fire this week for the second time in months, the state’s top prosecutor is calling for the business to shut down.
In the video above, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha talks with Target 12 about why he’s asking a judge to shut down Rhode Island Recycled Metals and to put it into receivership, a state-level version of bankruptcy. He filed a motion to do so late Thursday afternoon, following Wednesday morning’s fire at the scrap-metal yard.
RELATED: 2nd fire this year breaks out at Providence scrapyard
“Preliminary reports have not finally determined the cause of the fire, but could not eliminate ‘fugitive propane gas’ and ‘scooter batteries’ as potential causes, among others,” Assistant Attorney General Allison Carney wrote on Thursday.
A similar fire broke out in April, though fire officials deemed the cause as undetermined.
“If it can’t operate in compliance with the law, in our view, it shouldn’t operate at all,” Neronha said.
“I think a broader question is why is a strip club, scrap pile, tar tanks, a metal-scrapping facility that can’t prevent itself from being on fire, and vacant lots the best use of that property for the people of Providence and the people of Rhode Island?” he added.
Recycled Metals has been under court-appointed oversight for several years, but the attorney general argued the strategy hasn’t worked.
“The State seeks conversion of the special master regime to a receivership for one simple reason—despite the continued, intense, and good faith efforts, for more than a decade, of the special master, the state, and this court to coax, hand-hold, and force RIRM toward compliance at every step, compliance is not on the horizon,” Carney wrote.
Recycled Metals officials have argued they have complied with all regulatory requirements over the years and that the fires haven’t damaged the environment or the city’s air quality. Company officials said they fully expect to reopen on Monday.
Attorneys for the state and the company are scheduled to make their arguments before R.I. Superior Court Judge Brian Stern at 11 a.m. Friday in Providence.
Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook.
Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.