Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Duke Energy Sues 30 Insurers Over Carolinas Coal Ash Cleanup Costs

Mar 31 2017 // The largest U.S. electric company sued 30 international and domestic insurance companies Wednesday, saying they should cover part of the utility’s multibillion-dollar cleanup costs in the Carolinas for toxic...

What Could be Hotter than Phoenix? The Answer Might Just Be Phoenix

Mar 30 2017 // Can you imagine an even hotter, drier Phoenix?Certainly not if you’ve been to the sun-drenched Arizona capital in the summer. Such an inconceivable scenario is being proposed by the LA Times.“Today, Phoenix is...

XL Catlin Adds Marlane to Its Environmental Business in California

Mar 30 2017 // XL Catlin’s environmental insurance business has appointed Denali Marlane as its Western regional underwriting manager in San Francisco. Marlane will manage XL Catlin’s environmental underwriting...

Exxon Dealt a Blow as Texas Judge Sends Climate Suit to New York

Mar 30 2017 // Exxon Mobil Corp.’s attempt to derail a multistate fraud probe into whether the company fully disclosed to investors the financial risks of climate change was dealt a major blow after a Texas judge moved the case...

Trump Moves to Undo Federal Climate Change Policies

Mar 28 2017 // President Donald Trump is moving aggressively to undo policies designed to keep the carbon-cutting promises the U.S. made alongside nearly 200 other countries in Paris, while stopping short of a decision to formally...

Reported Dakota Access Pipeline Vandalism Exposes Risk of Sabotage

Mar 23 2017 // The developer of the Dakota Access pipeline has reported “recent coordinated physical attacks” on the much-protested line, just as it’s almost ready to carry oil.Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners...

Des Moines Water Works Suit Over Agricultural Drainage Pollution Dismissed

Mar 20 2017 // A federal judge has dismissed a Des Moines water utility’s lawsuit against three counties that accuses them of allowing agricultural drainage districts to send nitrate pollution into the rivers the water utility uses...

U.S., Peabody Energy Agree to $43 Million Environmental Fund; Bankruptcy Plan Approved

Mar 20 2017 // A U.S. judge formally approved Peabody Energy Corp.’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy late Friday after the coal producer struck a settlement with the U.S. government over legacy environmental claims at a gold and...

It Could Be Trump or the Weather, But More People Think Climate Change Is Real

Mar 16 2017 // You can blame it on the weather, or you can blame it on Trump.A record number of Americans are concerned about global warming, believe it is occurring and consider it a serious threat that is caused by human activity. A...

EPA Official Allegedly Aided Monsanto in Fight Against Roundup Cancer Study

Mar 16 2017 // The Environmental Protection Agency official who was in charge of evaluating the cancer risk of Monsanto Co.’s Roundup allegedly bragged to a company executive that he deserved a medal if he could kill another...

Appliances to Pipelines: Trump Plans Major Rollback of Obama Climate Change Rules

Mar 15 2017 // President Donald Trump is set to sign a sweeping directive to dramatically shrink the role climate change plays in decisions across the government, ranging from appliance standards to pipeline approvals, according to a...

Everest Introduces New Environmental Policy Form with $10M in Capacity

Mar 14 2017 // Everest Insurance has expanded its environmental offering with the new Everest Environmental Apex policy form, which provides up to $10 million in capacity in a lead or excess position with the ability to schedule general...

Rising Sea Temperatures Could Kill 90% of Coral Reefs by 2050: Scientists

Mar 14 2017 // There were startling colors here just a year ago, a dazzling array of life beneath the waves. Now this Maldivian reef is dead, killed by the stress of rising ocean temperatures. What’s left is a haunting expanse of...

Homes in Environmental Hazard Zones

Mar 6 2017 // Millions of homes and condominiums are in high danger zones for environmental hazards, according to the Environmental Hazards Housing Risk Index, produced by ATTOM Data Solutions.The report showed 17.3 million single...

California Governor Calls for $437M in Spending for Flood Control

Feb 27 2017 // California Gov. Jerry Brown is calling for a boost in spending on water and transportation infrastructure as the waterlogged state grapples with an emergency dam repair, frantic levee fixes and catastrophic road damage...

New Jersey Supreme Court Issues Ruling in $500M Contamination Lawsuit

Feb 20 2017 // The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Givaudan Fragrances Corporation (Fragrances) in a $500 million insurance coverage lawsuit against Aetna Casualty & Surety Company and additional insurers named as...

17 Million U.S. Homes Worth $4.9 Trillion Are in Environmental Hazard Zones

Feb 20 2017 // Millions of homes and condominiums across the country are in high danger zones for environmental hazards.According to the Environmental Hazards Housing Risk Index, produced by ATTOM Data Solutions, 17.3 million single...

EPA to Oklahoma Officials: Do More to Curb Earthquakes

Feb 20 2017 // The Environmental Protection Agency told Oklahoma regulators last November to do more to protect the state from a surge in earthquake activity that scientists have linked to the underground disposal of oil and gas...

Polluted Waste Pits Along Texas’ San Jacinto River Bring Lawsuits

Feb 16 2017 // Rick Kornele and Charles Rayburn fished and crabbed as small boys on a sand bar near a popular boat ramp on the San Jacinto River — a site today blocked off by an imposing chain-link fence that’s plastered with...

Flood Concerns Dismissed by Dam Managers California 12 Years Ago

Feb 15 2017 // Environmental activists and local government officials warned more than a decade ago about the risk of catastrophic flooding below a major Northern California dam – the very scenario that threatened to unfold over the...