environmental liability News

Vale-BHP Talks With Brazil on Mine Disaster Compensation Delayed

Talks over a multibillion-dollar settlement for a 2015 mining disaster at an iron ore venture of Vale SA and BHP Group have been suspended by a Brazilian court until early 2024 after the companies and authorities in the country failed …

Communities Can’t Recycle or Trash E-Cigarettes. So What Happens to Them?

With the growing popularity of disposable e-cigarettes, communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to safely get rid of millions of small, battery-powered devices that are considered hazardous waste. For years, the debate surrounding vaping largely …

Maryland Medical Waste Incinerator Fined $1.75M for Exposing Public to Biohazards

A medical waste processing company has pleaded guilty to dozens of environment-related charges and agreed to pay $1.75 million in fines after state prosecutors in Maryland accused a south Baltimore incineration plant owned by the firm of exposing the public …

Wetlands Permit Dispute Pauses Construction on $2B Scout Motors EV Plant in SC

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Construction work has been temporarily stopped on a $2 billion new electric vehicle plant in South Carolina being built by a Volkswagen Group-backed group trying to revive a brand that was a forerunner to today’s SUVs. …

Authorities Looking for Source of Oil Spill at Florida’s Port Manatee

The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to investigate the source of an oil spill that contaminated more than 19,000 gallons of water at Port Manatee in Tampa Bay. The spill was reported last week and crews have worked since then …

Fast Fashion Firms Prepare for EU Crackdown on Waste Mountain

In a warehouse on the outskirts of Barcelona, women stand at conveyor belts, manually sorting T-shirts, jeans and dresses from large bales of used clothing – a small step towards tackling Europe’s towering problem of discarded fashion. Within a year, …

OSHA Orders Vermont Firm to Rehire Environmental Whistleblower, Pay Damages

In early June 2022, an employee of a Vermont agricultural equipment company observed the company pumping wastewater from the facility’s service bays onto the ground bordering the Winooski River in Berlin and was concerned about the environmental implications. According to …

‘Smart Window’ Firm to Pay Almost $5M for Illegal Dumping of Wastewater in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A California-based company will pay just under $5 million in fines for discharging wastewater into a publicly owned sewage treatment plant in Mississippi without obtaining a valid state permit, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. View Inc., …

Vale Loses Bid to Block BHP’s London Lawsuit in Brazil Dam Case

Vale on Monday lost a bid to block fellow mining giant BHP Group’s bid to have it share potential liability in a 36 billion-pound ($46 billion) London lawsuit over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. More than 720,000 Brazilians are suing BHP, …

22 States Move to Block 3M’s $10.3 Billion PFAS Deal

A group of 22 states and U.S. territories on Wednesday moved to block a proposed $10.3 billion settlement that would resolve claims against 3M Co over water pollution tied to “forever chemicals,” claiming the deal fails to adequately hold the …