Latest Pollution Headlines
All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cities Get Creative to Tame Stormwater Floods
Jun 15 2020 // For more than a century, New Orleans has depended on canals and pumps to get rid of stormwater in a city where about half the land is below sea level. Now the bustling Mississippi River port that expanded by filling in...
Environmental Groups Warn South Carolina Development Project Will Worsen Flood Risk
Jun 12 2020 // Conservation groups in South Carolina are challenging a 3,000-acre (12,100-hectare) development project in Charleston over concerns that a loss of wetlands could worsen flooding in an already flood-prone area. The Sierra...
Unprecedented Arctic Diesel Spill Angers Putin and Could Force Green Reform in Russia
Jun 11 2020 // The mishandling of the biggest Arctic oil spill ever infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin and could give a boost to the country’s environmental regulation. MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC, Russia’s biggest...
Iowa Chemical Plant to Pay $80K for 2019 Spill that Hurt Worker
Jun 8 2020 // A Waterloo, Iowa, chemical plant will pay a nearly $80,000 civil penalty to settle violations of federal Clean Air Act following a spill last year that hurt a worker there, federal officials said. The federal Environmental...
Huhn-Kenzik to Lead New Sompo Environmental Unit for U.S.
Jun 8 2020 // Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty property,/casualty insurer, has launched a U.S. Insurance Environmental unit that augments its existing capabilities currently available through its Sompo Global...
BHSI Launches Environmental Impairment Liability Insurance in France
Jun 8 2020 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has introduced Environmental Impairment Liability (EIL) Insurance in France. The new policy pairs coverage for multiple environmental risks with technical and legal support to...
Amid Pandemic, Oil Refineries, Offshore Drillers Face Hurricane Challenges
Jun 4 2020 // As oil and gas companies began shutting offshore production before the first tropical storm of the season in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, experts said restarting wells and refineries will take longer and prove more costly this...
Court Rebuffs EPA, Blocks U.S. Sale of Dicamba-Based Herbicide by Bayer, Rivals
Jun 4 2020 // A U.S. appeals court has blocked Bayer AG from selling an agricultural weed killer in the United States, the latest setback for a business already fighting an expensive legal battle over another product. A three-judge...
EPA Report: North Carolina Chemours Plant Chemical Release Went Unchecked for Years
Jun 3 2020 // Environmental regulators did not inspect a North Carolina chemical facility for eight years even though it was under a federal agreement to prevent the release of a potentially toxic substance known as PFAS. WRAL reports...
Federal Court Allows Counties’ Clean Air Claims Against VW for Diesel Scandal
Jun 2 2020 // A U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday that Volkswagen AG cannot escape potential financial penalties from two counties in Florida and Utah that may amount to a “staggering” additional liability arising from the...
Ecoroofs, Bioswales, Water Gardens: Cities Get Creative To Tame Stormwater Floods
Jun 1 2020 // For more than a century, New Orleans has depended on canals and pumps to get rid of stormwater in a city where about half the land is below sea level. Now the bustling Mississippi River port that expanded by filling in...
U.S. Court Says State Courts Are Proper Forum for Climate Suits Against Big Oil
May 29 2020 // Big Oil lost a pair of court battles Tuesday that could lead to trials in lawsuits by California cities and counties seeking damages for the impact of climate change. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected...
Agency Says Asbestos Cleanup Complete in Montana Superfund Site
May 29 2020 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the completion of all required cleanup activities within a unit of a Montana Superfund site. The federal agency removed a portion of an asbestos-contaminated mining...
OSHA Cites, Fines Texas Chemical Plant Owner $514.6K After Explosions, Fire
May 28 2020 // A chemical manufacturer has been cited by federal officials for workplace safety hazards and fined more than $500,000 after a fire and explosions at its Port Neches, Texas, plant in November 2019. The U.S. Department of...
After Big Oil Loses Appeal, Climate Suits Appear Headed to California Courts
May 28 2020 // Big Oil lost a pair of court battles this week that could lead to trials in lawsuits by California cities and counties seeking damages for the impact of climate change. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected...
Lawsuits Filed Against Michigan Dam Operator, Others over Flooding
May 26 2020 // Residents and businesses in Central Michigan communities that were submerged when two dams failed sued the operator of the dams and two state agencies charged with overseeing the structures on May 22. A second class-action...
Chemours Won’t Face Federal Charges Over North Carolina GenX Contamination
May 22 2020 // Federal prosecutors have declined to pursue criminal charges against a chemical company that for years discharged compounds with health risks that aren’t fully understood into a North Carolina river, the company...
Maryland, Virginia, D.C. Intend to Sue EPA on Bay Pollution
May 20 2020 // Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to require two other states to implement plans to cut pollution in the Chesapeake Bay,...
U.S. Completes Overhaul of Biotech Farm Product Regulations
May 18 2020 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As...
Trump Safety Regulator Blocks Washington State’s Crude Oil Train Rules
May 13 2020 // The U.S. pipeline regulator late on Monday blocked an effort by Washington state to tighten vapor pressure restrictions on the transport of crude oil by rail, saying the measures would not lower the risk of explosions. The...
