EnvironmentalRSS

  • October 16, 2009

    Calpine Rival Prevails In $9.7M Flying J Credit Sale

    Thwarting Calpine Energy Services LP’s late grab for Flying J Inc.’s emission reduction credits, the bankruptcy court has approved the $9.7 million deal with Hydrogen Energy California, a low-carbon power company forged by BP PLC and Rio Tinto.

  • October 16, 2009

    FirstEnergy Reaches Deal In Coal Plant Emissions Suit

    FirstEnergy Generation Corp. has settled much of a case brought by an environmental group over soot from a coal-fired plant that allegedly fouled a neighboring community and damaged its residents' health.

  • October 16, 2009

    Kivalina Case Dismissal Breaks With 2nd Circ.

    A federal judge has dismissed a public nuisance lawsuit brought by the tiny Alaskan village of Kivalina against 24 energy and utility giants, breaking from a federal appeals court's take on whether companies can be held liable for historic greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

  • October 16, 2009

    DOD Fires Back At Alaska Town In $4M Pollution Spat

    The U.S. Department of Defense has fired back at a small Alaska city that sued the government for dumping toxic chemicals at a former military installation, accusing the city of causing the pollution after taking over ownership of the site.

  • October 16, 2009

    US, Conn. Settle With 91 Parties Over Superfund Site

    The U.S. government and the state of Connecticut have reached two consent decrees resolving environmental claims against 91 defendants in connection with the cleanup of a contaminated landfill in Southington, Conn.

  • October 16, 2009

    EPA Settles With MFG Chemicals Over Toxic Gas Release

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled a suit against MFG Chemicals Inc., whose allegedly sloppy manufacturing techniques at a Dalton, Ga., facility led to a toxic gas release that forced a mass evacuation and killed surrounding plants and animals.

  • October 16, 2009

    Climate Bill Unlikely To Pass Before Copenhagen: Attys

    It remains highly unlikely that the U.S. Senate will pass a climate bill before the United Nations' Copenhagen climate conference in December, given the number of hurdles it would need to overcome, but experts predict there will be at least some movement in that direction.

  • October 16, 2009

    PG&E Sued For Allegedly Sparking Calif. Wildfire

    The U.S. government has slapped a lawsuit on Pacific Gas & Electric Co., whose allegedly faulty maintenance of a power line easement led to a devastating California fire that destroyed 4,000 acres of national forest.

  • October 16, 2009

    Ford, Others Strike Deal Over NJ Superfund Cleanup

    Ford Motor Co. and several industrial manufacturers have agreed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on how to proceed with remediation of contaminated water and soil at a hazardous waste site in New Jersey under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.

  • October 15, 2009

    Lyondell Creditors Join Bid To Nix $1B In Enviro Claims

    Lyondell Chemical Co.’s unsecured creditors have backed the petrochemical manufacturer’s bid to jettison $1.1 billion in environmental claims, claiming the remediation costs are already being sought by federal and state environmental agencies.

  • October 15, 2009

    No Punitive Damages Against Exxon In MTBE Suit: Judge

    Exxon Mobil Corp. is off the hook for punitive damages in a lawsuit brought by the city of New York over contamination of Queens' groundwater by gasoline additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether.

  • October 15, 2009

    EPA Vows To Ramp Up Clean Water Act Enforcement

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson told a U.S. House of Representatives panel Thursday that the agency was recommitting itself to vigorous and consistent enforcement of the Clean Water Act with a three-prong oversight improvement plan.

  • October 15, 2009

    Patton Boggs Scores Lawyer From DOJ Enviro Division

    Former U.S. Department of Justice environmental lawyer Scott Stewart has joined Washington-based law firm Patton Boggs LLP.

  • October 14, 2009

    Corp. Counsel Split On Attorney-Client Privilege Waiver

    Corporate counsel are split on whether they support a prohibition that prevents government prosecutors from asking corporations to waive their attorney-client privilege, according to Fulbright & Jaworski LLP's 2009 Litigation Trends Survey.

  • October 14, 2009

    Earthjustice Wants Farm Pesticides Banned Near Kids

    Claiming that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ignored substantial risks posed by agricultural pesticides, Earthjustice and other environmental advocacy groups have submitted a petition to the agency seeking a ban on the spraying of the chemicals near areas used heavily by children.

  • October 14, 2009

    Lloyd's Fires Back In Energy Co.'s Storm Damage Suit

    In response to a suit by Taylor Energy Co. LLC alleging Lloyd’s of London underwriters breached an insurance contract by denying coverage for some cleanup efforts at a hurricane-damaged offshore oil facility, the insurer has said the work in question is not covered under Taylor's policy.

  • October 14, 2009

    EPA Ordered To Revisit Mont. Water Standards

    A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to re-evaluate Montana's relatively stringent water quality standards, which coalbed methane producers and neighboring Wyoming claim are not based on science.

  • October 14, 2009

    Cap-And-Trade's Price Tag Still Unclear, Experts Say

    Energy prices will go up and economic growth will slow under proposed cap-and-trade legislation, but whether the bill's benefits outweigh its costs will hinge largely on future policy and technological advancements, budgetary analysts told a key U.S. Senate committee Wednesday.

  • October 14, 2009

    Mid-America Sues Excavator Over Pipe Break

    Mid-America Pipeline Co. has hit a Nebraska excavating company with a suit alleging that its failure to check with authorities before digging led to the rupture of a buried pipeline and the release of tens of thousands of gallons of natural gas.

  • October 14, 2009

    Calpine Aims For Flying J's $9.7M Emission Credits

    Calpine Energy Services LP is making a grab for the emission reduction credits bankrupt oil company Flying J Inc. has agreed to sell to a new low-carbon power company, contending the private $9.7 million sale improperly bars Calpine’s superior offer for the credits.