Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Massachusetts Attorney General Issues Asbestos Safety, Enforcement Report

Nov 26 2019 // Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has released a report highlighting her office’s ongoing efforts to protect children, families and workers from the health risks posed by exposure to asbestos.The report...

Trump Regulatory Rollback Targets Safety Rules Prompted by Industrial Disasters

Nov 25 2019 // The Trump administration’s move to relax an Obama-era chemical safety regulation put in place after an explosion at a fertilizer plant is the latest example of the White House easing rules established in the wake of...

EPA Eases Safety Requirements Enacted after Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion

Nov 22 2019 // Days before President Barack Obama left office in 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule aimed at preventing tragedies like the 2013 explosion and fire in the tiny Central Texas town of West that...

Report Urges Insurers to Eye Impact of Climate Change on Underwriting, Investments

Nov 21 2019 // Insurers can no longer put off addressing the impact of climate change on their underwriting, pricing, and investment decisions, as well as their bottom lines, a recent analysis from Deloitte asserts.“The escalating...

Wall Street Taking Closer Look at Climate Change Risks

Nov 15 2019 // In the wake of two years of devastating wildfires in California, Wall Street is incorporating a new risk metric when evaluating companies: climate resiliency.Investors, analysts, research firms and companies are putting...

Ex-DuPont CEO Backtracks, Says Chemours Liabilities ‘Uncapped’

Nov 15 2019 // DuPont de Nemours Inc.’s ex-top executive is backtracking on claims the chemical maker never intended to saddle its spinoff Chemours Co. with “unlimited exposure” for liabilities.Ellen Kullman, who...

Venice Floods, Australia Wildfires Blamed on Climate Change

Nov 14 2019 // Extreme floods in Venice, fires in Australia and even an outbreak of plague in China have been attributed to climate change this week, while researchers have warned that global warming could saddle future generations with...

Environmental Impact of Texas Petrochemical Plant Fire Unclear

Nov 13 2019 // Researchers are uncertain about the environmental impact of toxic chemicals used to extinguish a three-day blaze at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility after some leaked into a busy commercial waterway.The fire...

Ben & Jerry’s Is Sued by Environmental Advocate Over ‘Happy Cows’ Claim

Nov 12 2019 // Ben & Jerry’s has been sued by an environmental advocate who said it deceived consumers by touting that the milk and cream it uses to make ice cream came exclusively from “happy cows.”In a complaint...

EPIC Launches Site Pollution Liability Insurance Program for Cannabis Risks

Nov 12 2019 // Greyling Insurance Brokerage & Risk Consulting (Greyling), a division of EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC), has launched a nationwide site pollution liability insurance program for the emerging cannabis...

The Aral Sea Is Dying — A Victim of Environmental Malpractice

Nov 7 2019 // The Aral Sea was once the world’s fourth largest inland lake. Today, it’s the epitome of environmental malpractice.More than 60 million people in six nations—Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,...

Philadelphia Fire Highlights Dangers of Old Infrastructure at U.S. Refineries

Nov 6 2019 // How did a piece of piping installed when Richard Nixon was U.S. president go without once being checked before leading to a fire that devastated the East Coast’s largest and oldest oil refinery?That’s a...

Australia’s Pro-Coal Prime Minister Signals War on Climate Change Activists

Nov 1 2019 // Radical. Extreme. Anarchists: Scott Morrison’s choice of language Friday made it clear how he views some environmental protesters. Now the Australian prime minister is signaling he will legislate to stymie what he...

Indiana Environmental Regulators: Steelmaker Too Slow to Act on Chemical Spill

Oct 31 2019 // The state environmental agency said a northwestern Indiana steel mill knew it was leaking dangerous chemicals into Lake Michigan but failed to report the spill or act quickly to mitigate the risks.The cyanide and ammonia...

Georgia Plant Agrees to Close in Fight Over Gas Emissions

Oct 31 2019 // Georgia officials reached an agreement Monday to temporarily shut down a medical sterilization facility that uses a gas that studies have linked to an increased risk of cancer.A Newton County judge signed off on a deal...

Alabama Power to Pay $222K Over Chemical Spill, Dead Fish

Oct 29 2019 // Alabama Power Company has agreed to pay about $222,000 to settle a chemical spill that killed hundreds of fish near its coal-fired plant about 30 miles northwest of Birmingham, according to a notice Wednesday from the...

Ex-DuPont CEO Claims No Intent to Burden Chemours with Unlimited Liabilities

Oct 24 2019 // DuPont de Nemours Inc. never intended to saddle its spinoff Chemours Co. with “unlimited exposure” to its liabilities, DuPont’s former chief executive officer said, sending Chemours stock up sharply.Ellen...

California Export List Hearing for Surplus Lines Slated for November

Oct 21 2019 // Parametric earthquake coverage and terrorism coverage are among the potential items on the 2019 Export List hearing being held next month by the California Department of Insurance.Adding a risk or coverage to the export...

Higher Than Usual Number of Items Could be Added at California Surplus Export List Hearing

Oct 16 2019 // Getting items on California’s surplus lines export list is no easy task.Just ask Ben McKay, executive director of the Surplus Line Association of California. McKay can recall only a few coverages that have been added...

Formosa Plastics Agrees to Pay $50M to Settle Texas Water Pollution Suit

Oct 16 2019 // Petrochemical manufacturer Formosa Plastics has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit in which a judge ruled the company illegally dumped billions of plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other...