Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Wyoming Refiner Pays $655K for Asbestos Cleanup

Dec 20 2016 // Sinclair Casper Refining Co. has paid $655,000 to the Environmental Protection Agency for cleaning up asbestos at an oil refinery in the town of Thermopolis, Wyo.The Casper Star-Tribune reported the agency determined there...

Corpus Christi Chemical Leak Reported Week Before Public Warned

Dec 19 2016 // A chemical leak from an asphalt plant that led Corpus Christi officials to warn its 300,000 residents not to drink the water last week was apparently reported a week earlier, according to an email from a state...

Vermont to Study Environmental Risks of Proposed Rail Tunnel

Dec 19 2016 // Vermont transportation officials have decided to pursue a more detailed environmental study of a proposed $40 million rail tunnel project in Middlebury, which could delay construction by at least a year.The project calls...

South Carolina Environmental Groups Say Seawalls Harming Turtles

Dec 14 2016 // South Carolina’s environmental protection agency is taking steps to ban experimental plastic seawalls once touted as a way to protect oceanfront property without erosion. The State newspaper reports that the...

Marsh, Endurance Launch Habitational Casualty Program

Dec 13 2016 // Marsh has launched a new and proprietary casualty insurance program designed offering accessible coverage for multifamily property owners and managers experiencing challenging habitational insurance market...

Dual Commercial Adds Nesterenko and Lynch in California

Dec 12 2016 // DUAL Commercial has named Melanie Nesterenko and Brian Lynch to their environmental team.Nesterenko and Lynch, both senior underwriters, will be based in San Francisco, Calif. Nesterenko has more than 25 years of...

$160M Claim Filed by Navajo Nation Over Mine Spill

Dec 7 2016 // The Navajo Nation has submitted a claim of more than $160 million in damages to the federal government over last year’s mine waste spill that fouled rivers in three western states.A cleanup team led by the U.S....

Cleanup Costs of Oregon Train Derailment Along River Pilling Up

Dec 6 2016 // Six months after a train hauling Bakken crude oil derailed along the Columbia River Gorge, Washington, Oregon and other officials are still tabulating a bill to send to Union Pacific Railroad.Union Pacific said in a...

Great American Insurance Taps Vuono to Lead Environmental Division

Dec 5 2016 // Property/casualty insurer, Great American Insurance Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has promoted Mark Vuono to divisional president of its Environmental Division. Vuono joined Great American in 2007 as divisional senior...

Oklahoma Companies Blame City for Groundwater Pollution

Nov 30 2016 // Two companies that operated a now closed aerospace plant argue that groundwater pollutants threatening to contaminate the city of Bethany’s municipal water supply are a result of the city’s 67-year-old clay...

Asbestos Losses Continue to Haunt P/C Insurers: A.M. Best

Nov 29 2016 // Net ultimate asbestos losses for the U.S. property/casualty industry have risen once again. They’re now at $100 billion, and that’s $15 billion higher than the previous estimate, according to a new A.M. Best...

Study: Injection Wells, Agriculture Harming Bays in Maui

Nov 28 2016 // A team of University of Hawaii scientists has completed a study of nearshore ecosystems across Maui that shows the impact of discharged treated wastewater.The findings were published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE...

BNSF in Washington to Examine Covering Coal Trains Under Agreement

Nov 23 2016 // BNSF Railway will study the use of physical covers for coal and petroleum coke trains as part of a tentative agreement reached this week with environmental groups that sued alleging that coal spilled from trains pollutes...

People

Nov 21 2016 // Western Growers Insurance Services Inc. has named Ken Cooper director of risk strategy.Western Growers also named Matt Luis as a sales executive. Cooper will spearhead the development of solutions for Western...

West Virginia Regulator Sues Alpha Natural on Fraud Allegations

Nov 18 2016 // West Virginia’s environmental regulator sued Alpha Natural Resources Inc’s former management on allegations of fraud on Wednesday, saying top executives should be held accountable for an unusual $100 million...

Zurich’s Sustainable U.S. Campus Is One Part of Its Green Ambitions

Nov 17 2016 // The voice of Zurich North America Chief Legal Officer Dennis Kerrigan swelled with pride as he described the carrier’s new headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill., and its importance to Zurich’s overall philosophy...

Texas DOT: Hazardous Chemical Routes in Houston Unchanged in 20 Years

Nov 15 2016 // Texas Department of Transportation records show no highway routes designated for transport of hazardous chemicals in the Houston area have been updated over the past 20 years and government officials appear befuddled over...

Miami Explores Using Bacteria-Infected Mosquitoes to Fight Zika

Nov 14 2016 // Officials in Miami trying to stop the outbreak of Zika are exploring the use of mosquitoes infected with bacteria that inhibit the insects’ ability to transmit the virus.The Miami Herald reports that Florida’s...

University of Georgia Settles Hazardous Waste Violations with EPA for $400K

Nov 14 2016 // The University of Georgia will spend more than $400,000 after federal inspectors found dozens of safety violations in the way it handles hazardous waste.Under a “consent agreement and final order” with the...

Everest Insurance Expands Environmental Coverage

Nov 14 2016 // Everest Insurance has expanded its environmental offering with its new ESP policy form, a mono-line site pollution policy form that includes coverage available for both new and pre-existing pollution conditions for bodily...