EnvironmentalRSS

  • March 17, 2010

    Innovative Recycling Cos. Battle Pollution Exclusions

    Despite environmentally friendly aims, companies that recycle waste by converting it into products — turning tires into mulch or turkey offal into biodiesel, for instance — may find themselves on the hook for pollution claims even if they take out liability policies and alert insurers as to the nature of their business, attorneys and insurance brokers say.

  • March 17, 2010

    Tomkins Escapes Liability In Tenn. TCE Pollution Suit

    A federal judge has dismissed Tomkins PLC, a global engineering and manufacturing group based in London, from three lawsuits that alleged the company is liable for polluting Tennessee groundwater with trichloroethylene.

  • March 17, 2010

    Utility Group Aims To Revive Yucca Nuclear Waste Plan

    Criticizing the Obama administration's recent move to pull the plug on a controversial but long-standing proposal to open a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, state utility regulators from across the U.S. are hoping to get the proposal on track.

  • March 17, 2010

    REC Sued Over Emissions At Wash. Silicon Plant

    A Washington state resident has filed suit to put the kibosh on a new $688 million silicon plant at Renewable Energy Corp. ASA’s industrial facility in Moses Lake, Wash., citing rampant Clean Air Act violations and regulatory lapses.

  • March 17, 2010

    Genetically Modified Sugar Beets OK For Now: Judge

    A federal judge has rejected a request by environmental groups to issue a preliminary injunction yanking genetically modified sugar beets from the market, saying the economic impact would be too great.

  • March 17, 2010

    GOP Lawmakers Pooh-Pooh SEC Climate Directive

    A group of 21 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives has sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the latest expression of displeasure with the agency’s new disclosure requirements relating to climate change for public companies.

  • March 16, 2010

    Pro-Wind Governors Urge Renewable Energy Reforms

    A group representing 29 governors called on the federal government Tuesday to promote wind energy by creating a standard for renewable electricity and developing a new interstate electric transmission grid.

  • March 16, 2010

    LA Asks High Court To Nix County's Biosolids Ban

    The city of Los Angeles and affiliated waste recyclers and farms have asked the nation’s highest court to hear their case alleging a neighboring county’s ban on biosolid fertilizer produced from the city’s waste is unconstitutional.

  • March 16, 2010

    Gas Caucus Defends 'Fracking' In Face Of Probe

    The two co-chairmen of the U.S. House of Representatives' natural gas caucus have delivered a strong defense of the natural gas extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing in response to an Energy and Commerce Committee probe into whether the process contaminates nearby drinking water.

  • March 16, 2010

    Enviro Groups Contest Kennecott Mine Permit

    The National Wildlife Federation and three other environmental groups are challenging a Michigan permit for Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co.’s proposed nickel and copper mining operation in Marquette County, claiming the project risks polluting the groundwater, rivers and natural resources.

  • March 16, 2010

    Don't Put GHGs Under CAA Purview: Chamber

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its recent decision that greenhouse gases should be regulated by the Clean Air Act, adding another voice to the chorus of opposition to the EPA's endangerment finding.

  • March 15, 2010

    ConocoPhillips Loses Fight Over Refinery Emissions

    The Supreme Court of California on Monday upheld a lower court finding that air quality regulators failed to properly scrutinize emissions before approving a new diesel refinery at a ConocoPhillips Co. facility in Los Angeles.

  • March 15, 2010

    Bhopal Plaintiffs Lose Bid To Conduct More Discovery

    Plaintiffs in a long-running dispute over Union Carbide Corp.'s alleged role in a lethal gas release at a Bhopal, India, chemical plant have lost a bid to further sift through company records and question employees for evidence.

  • March 15, 2010

    Conoco Unit To Pay Up For 2004 Wash. Oil Spill

    A ConocoPhilips Co. subsidiary has agreed to pay $588,000 to settle claims from federal and Washington state environmental regulators seeking damages for thousands of gallons of oil that one of the company's tankers spilled into the Puget Sound in late 2004.

  • March 15, 2010

    'Red Tide' Bill Creating Task Force Passes House

    A bill aimed at enhancing the United States' ability to monitor and control harmful algal blooms known as red tides has passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 251-103 vote, making progress toward the creation of an interagency task force on the issue.

  • March 15, 2010

    Dow, Vulcan Fail To Sink PCE Water Pollution Suit

    A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Dow Chemical Co. and Vulcan Materials Co. of contributing to water pollution in the U.S. Virgin Islands by failing to include the appropriate warnings on solvents containing hazardous materials.

  • March 15, 2010

    Insurer Ruled Not Liable For Ky. Coal Dust Pollution

    Wausau Underwriters Insurance Co. does not need to reimburse a Kentucky coal plant operator for alleged damage caused by coal dust pollution to nearby residences, a federal judge has ruled.

  • March 12, 2010

    Halliburton Liable For Cleanup Costs At 3 Texas Sites

    The federal judge overseeing a dispute between Halliburton Energy Services Inc. and Tremont LLC over costs stemming from the cleanup of NL Industries Inc.'s former petroleum businesses has concluded that Halliburton is liable for the remediation costs in connection with three Gulf Nuclear Inc. sites.

  • March 12, 2010

    Sierra Club Can Sue Over W.Va. Mine Pollution: Judge

    A federal judge has ruled that the Sierra Club and two other environmental groups have standing to sue a West Virginia coal surface mine operator for water pollution.

  • March 12, 2010

    Exelon To Pay $1M To End Nuclear Plant Leak Suits

    Exelon Generation Corp. will pay three Illinois counties a total of $1.1 million to resolve allegations that the energy company's nuclear power plants leaked radioactive material into nearby groundwater.