Latest Pollution Headlines

All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ecuador Plaintiffs to Seek Damages from Chevron Abroad

Jan 5 2012 // Ecuadorean plaintiffs who won an $18 billion environmental case against Chevron Corp will pursue legal action against the company overseas in a bid to collect the damages, their lawyer said on Wednesday. An appeals court...

Ecuador Court Upholds $18 Billion Judgment against Chevron

Jan 4 2012 // An Ecuadorean appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that Chevron Corp should pay $18 billion in damages to plaintiffs who accused the U.S. oil giant of polluting the Amazon jungle and damaging their health. A local...

Connecticut Health Officials Urge Homeowners to Test for Radon

Jan 3 2012 // The Connecticut public health department is urging residents to test their homes for radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Health officials estimate that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung...

Ironshore Names Boren Head of U.S. Field Operations

Dec 22 2011 // Specialty insurer Ironshore Inc. has appointed Joseph L. Boren as executive vice president of Ironshore Insurance Holdings, LLC and as president of U.S. Field Operations. John O’Brien, currently president of...

Utah Pollution Fighters Sue Kennecott Over Mining Dust

Dec 21 2011 // Clean air groups are making good on a promise to sue Kennecott Utah Copper over air pollution. The groups say Kennecott is kicking up too much dust at its Bingham copper mine and should curtail operations. They say...

EPA Reports Suggests Asbestos Exposure in Texas

Dec 21 2011 // An experimental asbestos demolition method used to tear down a Fort Worth, Texas, apartment building four years ago may have exposed workers and the public to carcinogenic fibers, the Environmental Protection Agency...

Montana Superfund Site Cleanup Could Take 30 More Years

Dec 12 2011 // A project to clean up contamination caused by a former dry cleaner at a Bozeman, Mont. shopping center may take 30 more years and cost the city a total of $7.4 million. City commissioners voted earlier this week to sign a...

U.S. Court Affirms $50M Verdict for Rice Farmers

Dec 12 2011 // The Arkansas Supreme Court has affirmed a nearly $50 million verdict for farmers who say they lost money because Bayer’s genetically altered rice seeds contaminated the food supply and drove down global crop...

American Safety Enhances Contractors Pollution Liability Package

Dec 8 2011 // American Safety Insurance has upgraded its contractors pollution liability package for artisan, trade and general contractors with new forms. The company designed the new forms to be more clear and concise, in addition to...

Judge: Transocean Insurance not Available to BP for Oil Spill

Dec 5 2011 // States May Pursue Punitive Damages Against BP and Others. BP has lost two big rulings in its fight to shield itself from potentially having to pay billions of dollars more in damages related to the worst offshore oil spill...

$79k EPA Fine for Nevada Company’s Hazardous Waste Facility

Dec 2 2011 // Federal environmental regulators have fined a Nevada company $79,500 for mishandling the storage of hazardous waste at a facility in Fernley. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the fine late Wednesday...

Insurers Win First Round of Climate Change Coverage Litigation

Nov 29 2011 // In light of the economic turmoil currently engulfing the United States and Europe, the Republican sweep in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, the various protests going on around the country and the upcoming...

Arbitrators Near Jurisdiction Call in Chevron-Ecuador Pollution Case

Nov 29 2011 // Arbitrators expect to rule as early as next month on whether they can hear a dispute between Chevron Corp. and Ecuador related to a marathon pollution liability case, according to a letter to the lawyers involved. The...

Insurers Win First Round of Climate Change Coverage Litigation

Nov 21 2011 // But How Significant Is the Victory? In light of the economic turmoil currently engulfing the United States and Europe, the Republican sweep in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, the various protests going on around...

Australia Urges Breaking up Doha Round into Smaller Pacts

Nov 10 2011 // Australia wants World Trade Organization members to recognize that reaching a comprehensive deal in decade-old world trade talks has become impossible and to focus instead on a series of smaller pacts, the country’s...

North Dakota Governor Asks Legislature to Approve Disaster Help

Nov 9 2011 // North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has unveiled a $569 million plan to provide disaster aid to flood-stricken areas and to help western North Dakota towns struggling to cope with oil development. Speaking to a joint session...

Health Costs of U.S. Climate Disasters of Last Decade: $14 Billion

Nov 8 2011 // Deaths and health problems from floods, drought and other U.S. disasters related to climate change cost an estimated $14 billion over the last decade, researchers said Monday. “When extreme weather hits, we hear...

Halliburton Sued Over Pollution at Oklahoma Missile Casing Site

Nov 7 2011 // Halliburton Co. faces lawsuits over groundwater pollution near a now-closed facility in Oklahoma that cleaned missile casings for the U.S. Defense Department during the Cold War, the company said Friday. Halliburton, which...

Millions Awarded in Louisiana Oil Lawsuit

Nov 7 2011 // A Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana judge has awarded more than $11 million to a Houma family stemming from a dispute over unpaid oil royalties. The Courier reports attorney Michael St. Martin and his wife, Virginia, filed a...

Declarations

Nov 7 2011 // Pollution “It’s not like we have the luxury to move out of there. The pollution is still there.” —Carla Hernandez, whose 4-year-old daughter is being treated at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles...