Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Exxon Sues California AG, Environmental Groups Over ‘Smear’

Jan 7 2025 // Exxon Mobil Corp. filed a lawsuit alleging that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups made defamatory comments about the oil company’s ability to recycle plastic.Exxon accused Bonta,...

Maryland Sues Gore-Tex Maker Over ‘Forever Chemicals’ Pollution

Dec 30 2024 // Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about...

Group Calls New Jersey’s Toxic Waste Dump Settlement ‘Woefully Inadequate’

Dec 20 2024 // Years of toxic waste dumping in a Jersey Shore community where childhood cancer rates rose caused at least $1 billion in damage to natural resources, according to an environmental group trying to overturn a settlement...

EPA Approves California’s Plan to Ban Sale of Gas-Only Cars in 2035

Dec 19 2024 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it has approved California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035.The decision in the final weeks of President Joe Biden’s...

EPA Awards $135M to California to Phase out Big Diesel Trucks

Dec 16 2024 // The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $135 million in grants to fund 13 projects in California to help the state wean off fossil fuels and phase out big rigs that run on diesel.The money will go to the state...

Federal Court Affirms $14M Penalty Against Exxon for Pollution in Texas

Dec 12 2024 // A federal court on Wednesday affirmed a federal judge’s 2021 ruling imposing a $14.25 million penalty on Exxon Mobil for thousands of violations of the federal Clean Air Act at the company’s refinery and...

New Mexico Seeks $47.8M Fine for Excess Air Pollution by Natural Gas Processor

Dec 9 2024 // New Mexico environmental regulators have issued a $47.8 million fine on allegations of excess air pollution at a natural gas processing facility in a prolific oil production region near the Texas state line.The state...

Insurer Says Pollution Exclusion Sinks Coverage for Pool Chemical Injuries

Nov 26 2024 // A commercial general liability policy with a pollution exclusion does not protect a Virginia homeowners association from lawsuits filed by swimmers alleging they were injured by chemicals discharged into the community...

Company Settles for $250K Over Hazardous Waste Claims at California Facility

Nov 18 2024 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with a firm over claims of violations of hazardous waste regulations at the company’s facility in Irvine, California. Edwards Lifesciences LLC will pay...

PepsiCo Beats New York State’s ‘Predatory’ Lawsuit Over Plastics Pollution

Nov 4 2024 // PepsiCo won the dismissal of New York’s lawsuit accusing the beverage and snack-food company of polluting the environment with single-use plastic packaging, as the judge criticized the state’s attorney general,...

Los Angeles County Sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Over Plastic Pollution

Nov 1 2024 // Los Angeles County has sued beverage makers PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accusing them of polluting the most populous U.S. county with plastic bottles and misleading the public about the environmental impact and recyclability of...

Toxic Waste That Set Off Global Outcry Seized by Albania’s Prosecutors

Oct 30 2024 // Albanian prosecutors ordered that containers filled with suspected hazardous industrial waste be seized after the cargo was forced to return to Europe from Southeast Asia.The prosecutors’ order Sunday directed...

Georgia County to Sue BioLab Over Chemical Fire and Toxic Fumes

Oct 25 2024 // CONYERS, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia county is preparing a federal lawsuit that aims to shut down the BioLab chemical factory where a fire sent a toxic chemical cloud over Atlanta’s suburbs last month, the latest in a...

Tennessee Pollution Exclusion Confusion: Courts Differ But Clauses Can Apply

Oct 23 2024 // Insurers often include exclusions within their liability policies to prohibit coverage for claims arising out of pollution exposure. The exact wording of the exclusion can differ significantly, but the key issue is whether...

Walmart to Pay $7.5M to Resolve California Hazardous Waste Charges

Oct 23 2024 // Walmart will pay $7.5 million to resolve charges that the largest U.S. retailer illegally disposed of hazardous and medical waste from its facilities into California municipal landfills.The settlement was announced on...

Supreme Court Allows EPA Power Plant Pollution Curbs for Now

Oct 17 2024 // The US Supreme Court let the Environmental Protection Agency move ahead with its stringent new emissions limits for power plants, rebuffing businesses and Republican-run states that complained the rule will impose...

EPA Proposes $4.2M Settlement Related to 2019 Explosion at Philadelphia Refinery

Oct 10 2024 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a tentative $4.2 settlement with a firm that owned and operated a major East Coast refinery that was shuttered after an explosion and fire in 2019.The deal with...

Court Reviews Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleging Environmental Racism in Louisiana Parish

Oct 9 2024 // NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appellate court is reviewing a civil rights lawsuit alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies to place polluting industries in majority-Black communities.The Fifth...

California Household Goods Seller to Pay EPA $250K for Unregistered Disinfectants

Oct 9 2024 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency got a settlement from Gardena, California-based U.S. Jaclean Inc. over claims of illegal distribution or sale of unregistered and misbranded disinfectants and other pesticide...

How Texas Weakened Its Own Air Pollution Monitoring Team

Oct 8 2024 // When disaster affects the sprawling industrial complexes of Texas, the state’s environmental authority often posts pictures online of its white vans patrolling public streets, verifying the local air is safe to...