Latest Pollution Headlines

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

OSHA Orders Vermont Firm to Rehire Environmental Whistleblower, Pay Damages

Aug 29 2023 // In early June 2022, an employee of a Vermont agricultural equipment company observed the company pumping wastewater from the facility’s service bays onto the ground bordering the Winooski River in Berlin and was...

Texas Files Lawsuit Against Shell, Alleging $1M in Environmental Damage from Petrochemical Plant Fire

Aug 16 2023 // AUSTIN, Texas (AP) __ Texas is suing Shell and is seeking more than $1 million, alleging a fire at the oil giant`s Houston-area petrochemical plant damaged the environment.The May 5 fire at the plant in the suburb of Deer...

Growing ‘Greenlash’ Fuels Fears for Europe’s Environmental Ambitions

Aug 11 2023 // A growing ‘greenlash’ against Europe’s environmental agenda has not so far derailed its decarbonization plans, but looming elections could put future climate and nature measures at risk.The European Union...

Severn Trent Faces First UK Class Action Suit Over Sewage Pollution

Aug 9 2023 // Severn Trent Plc faces an environment class action lawsuit in London over allegations it abused its dominant position in the utilities market and underreported instances where it pumped sewage into open water.Law firm...

Cleanup from Chemical Spill that Shut Down I-24 in Tennessee Could Take Time

Aug 7 2023 // Cleanup from a chemical spill and fire near Interstate 24 in Tennessee will take several days, after the interstate was shut down and nearby homes evacuated overnight on Thursday.Emergency responders were called to the...

Missouri Chemical Plant Fined $393K for Safety and Health Violations

Jul 21 2023 // Less than two years after an investigation found dozens of serious safety and health violations at a Verona, Missouri chemical plant, workplace safety inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor identified 16 violations,...

Groups Argue Wisconsin Regulators Can’t Make Factory Farms Obtain Preemptive Pollution Permits

Jul 18 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) __ Wisconsin regulators can`t legally impose environmental regulations on factory farms before they become operational, two farm advocacy groups allege in a lawsuit that could dramatically loosen...

National Grid to Pay $5.3M to Settle Gloucester Environmental Damage Claims

Jul 10 2023 // \National Grid agreed to pay $5.38 million to state and federal agencies to resolve claims over environmental damage caused by the defunct Gloucester Gas Light Company, officials said Friday.Hazardous chemicals released by...

EPA’s Lax Enforcement Leaves Thousands of Lead Pipes in Chicago Drinking Water

Jul 10 2023 // Even though lead in drinking water damages children`s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes.Consider Chicago, with more water pipes made out of lead than...

Republican Attorneys General Urge Biden to Drop EPA Emissions Plan

Jul 7 2023 // A group of 25 Republican state attorneys general Thursday urged the Biden administration to abandon its proposal to sharply cut vehicle tailpipe emissions, which would require dramatically more electric vehicles, saying it...

Industrial Gas Maker Messer to Pay $1.9M to Settle WV Pollution Violation Suit

Jun 28 2023 // A producer of industrial gas in West Virginia has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act by dumping copper, aluminum, residual chlorine, iron and phenolics into the Ohio River...

Environmental Changes Put 90% of World’s Marine Food Supplies at Risk: Study

Jun 27 2023 // More than 90% of the world’s marine food supplies are at risk from environmental changes such as rising temperatures and pollution, with top producers like China, Norway and the United States facing the biggest...

Railroad Industry Sues to Block New Locomotive Pollution Rules in California

Jun 19 2023 // The railroad industry sued to block new environmental rules in California, arguing they would force the premature retirement of about 25,000 diesel-powered locomotives across the country long before their zero-emission...

Republican Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose Plan to Combat PFAS Pollution

Jun 7 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican legislators have proposed a sweeping new plan to address PFAS pollution that would create grants for local governments, limit regulators’ ability to delay projects on polluted...

3M Is in at Least $10 Billion Forever-Chemicals Pollution Settlement

Jun 2 2023 // Update: 3M Granted Delay in ‘Forever Chemicals’ Trial to Negotiate Settlement3M Co. struck a tentative settlement of at least $10 billion over water pollution claims tied to “forever chemicals,”...

Environmental Platform Urges 1,600-Plus High-Emitting Firms to Disclose Data

May 31 2023 // More than 1,600 companies identified by non-profit platform CDP as having the biggest impact on the environment are not disclosing environmental data, it said as it launched its latest campaign to get firms to provide the...

Eastman Chemical Resins to Pay $2.4M for Environmental Violations in Pennsylvania

May 26 2023 // Eastman Chemical Resins Inc. will pay a $2.4 million penalty for environmental violations at the sprawling 56-acre manufacturing facility in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, that is now owned and operated by Synthomer...

Crum & Forster Policy Covered Accidents, Not Intentional Pollution, Appeals Court Says

May 25 2023 // Greasy, toxin-laden wastewater discharges by a Mississippi animal feed maker were not accidents and thus are not covered by a Crum & Foster pollution policy, a federal appeals court decided this week in a case that...

Wisconsin Republicans Propose $125M to Combat PFAS Pollution

May 24 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Republicans on Thursday announced plans to put $125 million aside to combat pollution from so-called forever chemicals, putting off a decision on what exactly to spend the money on.The...

BP Subsidiary to Pay Record $40M Penalty Over Lake Michigan Refinery Pollution Violations

May 19 2023 // A BP subsidiary will pay a $40 million penalty and install technology to control releases of benzene and other contaminants at its Whiting oil refinery on the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan, Biden administration...