Latest Pollution Headlines
All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Gulf Coast Officials Enjoy Spending Spree at BP’s Expense
Apr 12 2011 // In the year since the Gulf oil spill, officials along the coast have gone on a spending spree with BP money, dropping tens of millions of dollars on gadgets, vehicles and gear — much of which had little to do with the...
Tesoro Denies Plant Blast in Washington Due to Poor Maintenance
Apr 5 2011 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said Tesoro Corp. had not adequately maintained a heat exchanger at its Anacortes, Washington, refinery, that exploded on April 2, 2010, causing the death of seven workers. Microscopic cracks...
XL Insurance Creates Electronic Data Destruction Coverage for E-Waste Recycling
Apr 5 2011 // XL Insurance, the global insurance operations of XL Group plc, has unveiled a new Electronic Data Destruction coverage enhancement developed exclusively for e-waste recyclers. “In the US alone, an estimated 400...
Company Faces $300M Penalty in Pennsylvania Pollution Suit
Mar 23 2011 // GenOn Northeast Management Co. is liable for fouling the Conemaugh River with metal discharges from a power plant in Indiana County since 2005, a federal magistrate has ruled, opening the door to a maximum civil penalty of...
Hot Programs and Products
Mar 21 2011 // Here’s what some insurers and brokers have been up to recently, inventing and tweaking key programs and coverages. Liability: Professional, E&O, D&O, EPLI CNA launched Epack Extra, an enhanced version of...
People
Mar 21 2011 // Jennifer McPhillips was promoted to senior director of federal government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) and will serve as one of the association’s...
Judge Won’t Order Additional Damages Against Exxon for Valdez Spill
Mar 8 2011 // A federal judge has refused to order Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay an additional $92 million sought by the U.S. government and state of Alaska to address lingering damage from the 1989 oil spill in Prince William Sound. U.S....
Report Highlights 50% Jump in Asbestos, Environmental Losses
Mar 7 2011 // A soon to be issued report from A.M. Best details an increase in U.S. property/casualty insurers’ asbestos and environmental (A&E) incurred losses. The industry faced a 50 percent rise in 2009, after a 47...
BP Shows Reluctance to Fix Gulf Oil Spill Damage: Official
Mar 3 2011 // The vice chairman of a task force set up by President Barack Obama to restore the Gulf Coast criticized BP PLC this week for what he described as the oil company’s increasing reluctance to repair the damage inflicted...
Schinnerer Launches New Contractor Policy Form
Mar 2 2011 // Schinnerer has launched a new contractor professional liability and pollution liability policy form. Available to general, design-build and many types of specialty contractors, the new policy form offers expanded coverage...
Great American Environmental Continues West Expansion with Staff Addition
Feb 25 2011 // Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division has added made another staff addition to its division as it continues to expand its San Francisco office. Pauline Saint-Pierre (formerly Lowe) joins Great...
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
BP Claims Fund Placed Under Judicial Oversight
Feb 21 2011 // Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of BP Plc’s fund to compensate victims of last year’s oil spill, could be forced to revamp dramatically how he handles claims now that the fund has come under the...
Best Report Highlights 50% Jump in Asbestos, Environmental Losses
Feb 17 2011 // A soon to be issued report from A.M. Best details an increase in U.S. property/casualty insurers’ asbestos and environmental (A&E) incurred losses. The industry faced a 50 percent rise in 2009, following a 47...
Nine New York Families Sue Gas Driller, Say Wells Tainted
Feb 17 2011 // Nine New York homeowners have filed a lawsuit against a Denver-based natural gas driller and its subcontractors, claiming the companies contaminated drinking water with gas and silt. The lawsuit, filed Friday in state...
Invited by GOP, Businesses Vent About EPA, OSHA, Dodd-Frank Rules
Feb 11 2011 // On issues ranging from the air we breathe to the noise factories make, business leaders want the government to stay out of their way. And the Republicans, looking toward the 2012 elections, are listening. The House’s...
Judicial Oversight Could Mean Changes for BP Claim Fund
Feb 10 2011 // Kenneth Feinberg, the formerly freewheeling administrator of BP Plc’s fund to compensate victims of last year’s oil spill, could be forced to revamp dramatically how he handles claims now that the fund has come...
Accidents Shine Spotlight on Grain Elevators
Feb 9 2011 // Recent high-profile accident cases have put a regulatory spotlight on grain elevators. Speakers at the North Dakota Grain Dealers Association annual meeting in Fargo talked about a range of financial perils elevators must...
Aon Warns UK Businesses Face Threat from Environmental Legislation
Feb 8 2011 // UK businesses are “dangerously exposed to the possibility of heavy fines under the latest UK and EU legislation regarding environmental liability,” according to Aon. The bulletin added that in order to help...
