Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Brown & Riding Adds Katz in Colorado to Environmental Practice Group

Apr 23 2019 // Brown & Riding’s environmental practice group has added Tricia Katz to its team of environmental-focused insurance brokers. Katz works out of Denver, Colo. She specializes in assisting contracting risks with the...

California Lawsuit Claims Dispensary Sold Pesticide-Tainted Pot

Apr 22 2019 // An unlicensed marijuana dispensary sold cannabis sprayed with a dangerous pesticide, the city of Los Angeles said in a lawsuit that’s part of a wide-ranging crackdown on illegal pot sales.Marijuana sold at Kush Club...

S&P Will Issue ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ Evaluations Including on Insurance Sector

Apr 18 2019 // If you’re among those who regard “environmental, social and governance” as just another in a long line of trendy buzz-phrases, then you may want to rethink.ESG standards, which companies use to highlight...

Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill

Apr 16 2019 // The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks...

Contaminated Oil Linked to U.S. Reserves Raises Safety Concerns

Apr 15 2019 // Exxon Mobil Corp. is the latest company to raise concerns that a stockpile of U.S. government crude is tainted with poisonous gas.The American energy giant said some of the oil it purchased last year from the Energy...

Part of Asbestos Cleanup Site in Montana Removed from Superfund List

Apr 12 2019 // U.S. officials have removed part of a Montana asbestos cleanup site from its Superfund list in the latest sign that the 17-year cleanup is ending, though the asbestos-related health problems for thousands of people...

Southeast States Push Industry Over Cleanup of Toxic Coal Ash Ponds

Apr 11 2019 // It’s the other dirty problem for U.S. coal — one that could cost utilities billions to clean up.Even as the Trump administration tries to revive the industry, some states are pushing utilities including Duke...

When Cyber Attack Hit Norsk Hydro, It Was Already Handling a Major Upheaval: RMS

Apr 9 2019 // When Norsk Hydro, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, was hit by a major cyber attack in the early hours of March 19, it was already undergoing a major upheaval: just the day before the attack, the...

Why Has Texas Decided to Break Tradition and Immediately Sue Industrial Polluters?

Apr 9 2019 // Late last month as crews worked to contain a roaring fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility, the state of Texas did something unheard of, at least in recent memory: It sued the company that operates the site...

Chemical Plant Fires Renew Safety Debate in Oil-Friendly Texas

Apr 7 2019 // Two major chemical plant fires near Houston just 17 days apart closed schools, leaked toxic chemicals into coastal waters and killed a worker, but there’s a good chance they won’t lead to big industry...

Oklahoma Lawmakers not so Happy About Purdue Pharma Settlement

Apr 7 2019 // A $270 million settlement between the state of Oklahoma and the maker of OxyContin praised last week as an innovative way to help combat opioid addiction is facing bipartisan criticism from Oklahoma lawmakers who say the...

Despite Explosion, Company Will Keep Using Toxic Chemical at Wisconsin Refinery

Apr 5 2019 // Husky Energy said that it will invest more than $400 million to rebuild its oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, and will continue its use of a highly toxic chemical that raised fears in the community after an explosion at...

Trump Deregulation Plan Facing Court Challenge by 3 States

Apr 5 2019 // California, Oregon and Minnesota sued President Donald Trump and several top cabinet officials over the administration’s requirement that federal agencies delete two regulations for every one they add.Lodged by three...

The Lowdown: May is National Safety Stand-Down Month

Apr 3 2019 // What’s coming up for your construction clients? The 6th annual National Safety Stand-Down takes place May 6-10, 2019. First initiated by OSHA in 2014, the week encourages construction companies of all sizes to...

North Carolina Orders Duke Energy to Excavate All Coal Ash

Apr 3 2019 // The country’s largest electric company was ordered Monday to excavate coal ash from all of its North Carolina power plant sites, slashing the risk of toxic chemicals leaking into water supplies but potentially adding...

U.S. Investigators to Begin Search for Cause of Texas Petrochemical Disaster

Apr 2 2019 // U.S. investigators hope this week for the first time to enter the site of a massive fuel fire and chemical spill outside Houston to begin the hunt for a cause and to determine whether the operator followed safety...

Houston-Area Chemical Disaster Zone Remains No-Go Zone 2 Weeks After Blaze

Apr 1 2019 // Two weeks after a chemical storage complex near Houston erupted in flames and menaced tens of thousands of people with dangerous fumes, the site remains too hazardous for investigators to approach.Intercontinental Terminal...

China Factory Explosion Kills 7 People in Second Deadly Blast During March

Apr 1 2019 // A plant explosion in China’s Jiangsu province killed seven people on Sunday, authorities said, the second deadly blast in the province this month as Beijing begins a nationwide industrial safety inspection...

Duke University to Settle Whistleblower Suit Over Faked-Research for $112M

Mar 29 2019 // Duke University will pay $112 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit after federal prosecutors said a research technician’s fake data landed millions of dollars in federal grants, the school and the government...

Storage Tank Owner Sued by State, County Over Texas Petrochemical Fire

Mar 28 2019 // Texas officials on Tuesday sued owners of a Houston area petrochemical storage facility over a fire last week, alleging violations of environmental laws and seeking damages to cover response costs for the disaster that...