Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Zurich North America Appoints Harper as Head of Corporate Sustainability

Jan 27 2020 // Ben Harper has been named head of Corporate Sustainability for Zurich North America. In this new position, Harper will be responsible for coalescing Zurich’s people and capabilities to advance the company’s...

Florida Lawmakers Weigh Proposals to Fight Algae Blooms

Jan 27 2020 // The scum of blue-green algae was so thick and invasive in Florida two years ago that it suffocated fish by the thousands. Birds dropped dead. And people stayed out of the water.Offshore, a toxic swarm of rust-colored...

Study: Petrochemicals Boom Would Boost Greenhouse Gases

Jan 27 2020 // A multi-billion dollar boom in petrochemical plants proposed along the U.S. Gulf Coast could pump as much greenhouse gas into the air as 131 coal-fired power plants by 2030, according to a study released by University of...

Warehouse Explosion Shakes Houston; 2 Killed, 20 Injured

Jan 26 2020 // A massive explosion Friday leveled a warehouse in Houston, killing two workers, damaging nearby buildings and homes and rousing frightened residents from their sleep miles away, authorities said.The explosion happened...

Making Big Oil Pay for Climate Change May Be Impossible

Jan 24 2020 // Exxon Mobil dodged a bullet last month when a judge rejected a novel climate-change lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general. The case began with a promise from state officials that there would be a historic...

Roundup Plaintiffs, Bayer in Talks to Settle Claims For $10 Billion

Jan 23 2020 // In an effort to settle tens of thousands of claims that Bayer AG’s Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, lawyers for some plaintiffs are discussing with the company deals that could lead to a total payout of about $10...

Environmental Group Warns ‘Forever Chemicals’ Widespread in U.S. Drinking Water

Jan 23 2020 // The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on...

Philadelphia Teachers Union Suing District Over Asbestos in Schools

Jan 22 2020 // The union representing public school teachers in Philadelphia is suing the district over its handling of asbestos contamination in schools, the union said Monday.The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers suit comes after the...

Reuters Report: How Secrecy in Courts Stymies Safety Regulators

Jan 17 2020 // LEBANON, Ohio — Something wasn’t right with the Rhino.Reports started trickling in to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2005 of people being killed or injured in the Yamaha Motor Co. off-road...

Newspaper Says Chemicals Found in Drinking Water Near South Carolina Air Base

Jan 17 2020 // A newspaper says it found high levels of a toxic chemical in the drinking water near one of South Carolina’s largest military bases.The Post and Courier paid University of Rhode Island researchers to examine tap...

California Refinery Hit With $125K in Safety Violations

Jan 16 2020 // Federal officials have fined a Southern California refinery $125,000 for chemical safety and risk-management violations, according to a newspaper report.The violations stem from a 2016 investigation into Torrance Refinery,...

Severe Storms Expected to Bring Relief, New Risks to Bushfire-Stricken Australia

Jan 15 2020 // Severe storms are expected to bring some relief in the coming days from huge bushfires scorching Australia but the heavy downpours could also carry the risk of landslides and water pollution, officials said on...

New York Bans Use of Toxic Chemical in Firefighting Foam

Jan 14 2020 // New York plans to restrict the use of firefighting foam that contains certain chemicals that have the potential to contaminate groundwater.Firefighting foam can contain polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are...

Judge Refuses to Stop Idaho Tribe Lawsuit Against Mining Company

Jan 14 2020 // A Clean Water Act lawsuit filed by the Nez Perce Tribe that seeks to force a Canadian gold mining company to acquire permits for pollution discharged from its central Idaho facility will be allowed to continue, a federal...

Lead, Uranium Found After Detroit River Aggregate Spill, EPA Says

Jan 13 2020 // Federal environmental officials found uranium, lead and several chemicals during testing of an industrial site where limestone construction aggregate material spilled into the Detroit River last year, a state agency...

Steelworkers Union Sues to Reverse EPA Weakening of Chemical Plant Rules

Jan 10 2020 // The United Steelworkers sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in federal court on Thursday in a bid to reverse its gutting of a safety rule at chemical plants, the union said.The largest U.S. industrial...

New York Governor Lays out Aggressive Climate Change Plan

Jan 9 2020 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing an aggressive climate change-fighting campaign for his state that includes a $3-billion bond act that would be put on the ballot this November.Cuomo, who says that money would go to...

Trump Wants to Speed Infrastructure Projects by Dropping Climate Impact Assessment

Jan 9 2020 // The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a plan to speed permitting for major infrastructure projects like oil pipelines, including by dropping consideration of their potential impact on climate change.The plan,...

Insurance Journal’s Top 10 South Central Region Stories of 2019

Jan 2 2020 // It almost seemed like there was a major fire or explosion per month at one petrochemical facility or another in the South Central region last year. That’s not really the case, but there were a number of high-profile...

Honeywell to Pay Georgia $4M for Pollution in Coastal Marsh

Dec 27 2019 // A company has agreed to pay the state of Georgia $4 million for environmental cleanup of a former chemical plant.The Brunswick News reports Honeywell International has filed the settlement with the state Department of...