Source: https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/, July 23, 2024 By: Guy Burdick On July 17, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into a January 2023 explosion and toxic chemical release at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in Geismar, Louisiana. A reboiler at the facility exploded, leading to the release […]

Source: https://www.click2houston.com/, July 19, 2024 By: Gage Goulding & Rayan Graham A massive oil sheen is stretching for miles along the Galveston coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The sheen is coming from an offshore drilling platform 12 miles from the sandy beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula, near Crystal Beach. Read more.

Source: https://www.epa.gov/ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 25 selected applications for over $4.3 billion in grants to implement community-driven solutions to the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition. The selected applications will fund state, local, and Tribal entities located in 30 states. The grants will be […]

Source: https://www.ecowatch.com/, July 10, 2024 By: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes A new study by economists from West Virginia University (WVU) has found hot spots of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” in United States public water systems, including in higher-income, densely populated areas, as well as those that use groundwater. At least four PFAS contamination hot spots were identified in the […]

Source: https://www.njspotlightnews.org/, July 22, 2024 By: Lilo H. Stainton Seven years ago, Morristown resident Kevin Hanlon, then 47, was recovering from lung cancer when he encountered something in a Manhattan office building that proved even more deadly: Legionella. The bacteria, spread through water droplets propelled by powerful commercial air conditioners, resulted in Legionnaires’ disease, a […]

Source: https://www.berkleysp.com/ An apartment resident filed a housing discrimination complaint against a property manager with the city’s Human Relations Commission  (HRC) alleging wrongful eviction in violation of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of  1968. The resident was repeatedly late in making rent payments in violation of the lease terms. The property manager provided […]

Source: https://www.fox29.com/, July 17, 2024 By: Shawnette Wilson Residents of a high-rise in Center City are having a major problem after they say the windows keep falling out! “It’s right on the Schuylkill River trail. It’s a 10-minute walk to the hustle and bustle of Center City,” said Sam Myers. He absolutely loved the unit […]

Source: https://metrophiladelphia.com/, July 17, 2024 By: Jack Tomczuk A potential chemical leak from a former industrial site has shuttered a section of Bartram’s Garden and sparked concerns about contamination of the Schuylkill River. Preliminary testing of the site indicated the presence of chromium, a carcinogen, according to the nonprofit John Bartram Association, which operates the Southwest Philadelphia […]

Source: https://www.lexology.com/, July 15, 2024 By: Plunkett Cooney PC The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, reversed the trial court’s decision denying the plaintiff insurers’ motion for summary judgment on the applicability of pollution exclusions in their policies. The appellate court concluded that the insurers did not have a duty to defend or indemnify the […]

Source: https://www.berkleysp.com/ An apartment resident filed a housing discrimination complaint against the property manager (our policyholder) with the county’s Human Rights and Relations Department (HRRD), alleging that the property manager failed to repair defective  conditions in the apartments (water damage, mold and mildew) leading to health issues, increased utility bills and retaliation when complaints were […]

Source: https://www.mlive.com/, July 16, 2024 By: Sam Jane Saline’s nearly three-year, $62-million construction project to upgrade its aging wastewater treatment plant recently encountered a $2.3 million problem. The city was informed that low levels of contaminating PFAS were found present in on-site soils. As a result, soil removal costs will more than quadruple from the […]

Source: https://www.lexology.com/, July 12, 2024 By: Jodie Clark McDougal and Jackson G. O’Brien, Fredrikson & Byron PA When homeowners discover defective construction, it can be difficult to understand and remedy the issues. It can be even more difficult to determine which parties are responsible. The Iowa Court of Appeals recently offered some clarity in Yakel v. […]