Latest Pollution Headlines
All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Proposed Restrictions Building in Oregon’s Flood Plains
Apr 18 2016 // Building in flood zones is about to get harder across much of Oregon, due to new federal recommendations. The government published the recommendations, called a biological opinion, in response to a lawsuit from...
Water in 19 Detroit Schools Contains High Copper or Lead Levels
Apr 15 2016 // Elevated lead or copper levels have been found in the water at 19 Detroit schools, amid testing that is also going on at schools around the country in response to the lead-tainted water crisis in nearby Flint. The district...
Idaho Ski Park Developer Settles with EPA Over Asbestos Violation
Apr 14 2016 // A Boise, Idaho, ski and snowboard park developer has agreed to pay the federal government $10,000 to settle a claim that it violated asbestos removal regulations. The Idaho Statesman reports that Gateway Parks LLC was...
Negative Outlook for Energy Insurers May Force Sector Exit: Willis Towers Watson
Apr 7 2016 // Energy insurers continue to feel the pressure caused by over-supply of capital and falling demand from buyers, which may lead them to exit or scale back their participation in the energy sector, according to a report...
Report Faults State of Michigan for Flint Water Crisis
Apr 4 2016 // The state of Michigan is “fundamentally accountable” for Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis because of decisions made by its environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who...
Kentucky Sues Volkswagen Over Diesel Emissions Cheating
Apr 4 2016 // Kentucky has filed suit against Volkswagen AG and its luxury units claiming the German automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scheme violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act. “Volkswagen must be held...
Climate Change Easy Bet to Be Hot Topic at Insurance Regulators’ Meeting
Mar 31 2016 // Mark down the Climate Change and Global Warming Working Group as the odds-on favorite committee to produce the most interesting chatter during the National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting next week in The...
Oregon Ice Cream Company Pays $55K Fine in EPA Settlement
Mar 31 2016 // The Oregon Ice Cream Co. has agreed to pay $55,000 for violating federal safety rules at its Eugene plant. In 2011, Environmental Protection Agency inspectors found that the company failed to meet industry safety standards...
West Virginia Officials Propose $93K Fine Against Natural Gas Company
Mar 31 2016 // West Virginia environmental officials have proposed a $93,000 fine on an Antero Resources natural gas company for polluting waterways. In a consent order, state Department of Environmental Protection and Antero Midstream...
Judge Grants VW More Time for Diesel Fix
Mar 25 2016 // Volkswagen AG was given four more weeks to reach an agreement with regulators for getting 600,000 diesel vehicles off U.S. roads as it faces hundreds of lawsuits for rigging pollution control systems to cheat emissions...
Report: State of Michigan ‘Fundamentally Accountable’ for Flint Water Crisis
Mar 24 2016 // The state of Michigan is “fundamentally accountable” for Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis because of decisions made by its environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who...
Kentucky Sues Volkswagen Over Diesel Emissions Cheating
Mar 24 2016 // Kentucky sued Volkswagen AG and its luxury units on Tuesday claiming the German automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scheme violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act. “Volkswagen must be held...
VW May Miss Court Deadline for Diesel Fix with U.S. Regulators
Mar 24 2016 // Volkswagen AG will probably miss a Thursday court deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement with U.S. authorities over its tainted diesel engines, possibly exposing the carmaker to daily fines and other sanctions. While...
Ironshore Environmental Expands Spill Coverage to Real Estate Segment
Mar 21 2016 // Ironshore Environmental is expanding its industry SPILLS program to the real estate sector, offering blanket coverage for all owned and leased residential and commercial properties without the need to schedule...
Rural Coastal Counties Fear Economics of Battle Against Rising Seas
Mar 15 2016 // Tyrrell County sits just inland from North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands. With 3,600 people living and farming along 400 square miles, it’s an ecologically rich enclave. It also ranks No. 1 among 319...
278 Volkswagen Institutional Investors File €3.3 Billion Suit in Germany
Mar 15 2016 // Almost 300 institutional investors in Volkswagen have filed a multi-billion euro suit against the carmaker for what they see as breaches of its capital markets duty in the emissions scandal, the law firm representing them...
Pollution, Drought, El Niño Leading to Collapse of Florida’s Coastal Environments
Mar 15 2016 // Central Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, North Florida’s Apalachicola Bay and a trio of coastal estuaries in South Florida are in the throes of ecosystem collapses that threaten sea grass, fisheries, recreation...
Judge: BP not Required to Pay Moratorium-Related Oil Industry Losses
Mar 14 2016 // A federal judge in Louisiana ruled that BP does not have to pay for economic losses other businesses suffered when the federal government shut down deep-water drilling in the wake of BP’s catastrophic 2010 oil spill...
Residents Sue Oregon Glass Company over Pollution Concerns
Mar 8 2016 // Seven Portland, Ore. residents are filing a class-action lawsuit against a city glass manufacturer over pollution concerns. The Oregonian reported that the suit claims Bullseye Glass was negligent and reckless in burning...
North Carolina Regulators Claim Duke Energy Coal Ash Pits Polluting Water
Mar 8 2016 // Duke Energy is violating state pollution laws because its coal ash pits are polluting nearby waterways, North Carolina environmental regulators said Friday. Fines are being considered. The state Division of Water Resources...
