We are all currently experiencing turbulent economic conditions and uncertainties that may last for the foreseeable future. In light of this uncertainty, we remind property owners, lenders, and managers, as well as landlords and tenants, to identify both potential environmental risks and valuable environmental assets associated with a property or tenant.  Identifying these potential liabilities […]

Increased billings by architecture and engineering firms generated bigger professional liability premiums in 2019 but also led to the first upswing in claims activity in several years, Ames & Gough said in a report. The brokerage, based in McLean, Va., said its annual survey of professional liability insurance carriers found that 40 percent reported a […]

A recent report from the Pentagon says it may take decades to remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the water supply near military bases following a surge in the number of sites with suspected contamination. The Defense Department now has 651 sites it suspects could be contaminated with PFAS, a class of chemicals used in a […]

Recent testing shows the groundwater at Miami Dade College’s North Campus is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). That water is treated and circulated throughout parts of Miami-Dade County. Despite the test results, the county says its tap water is safe to drink, reported the Miami New Times.…

Business insurance policies contain exclusions precluding coverage under specified circumstances. Two exclusions potentially relevant to COVID-19 claims are the virus, bacteria or communicable disease and pollution exclusions. In this blog post, we examine these exclusions in the context of coverage issues for COVID-19.  Read more.…

Federal environmental regulators have fined the mining company Asarco for failing to do enough to control hazardous dust at its copper smelter in southeastern Arizona. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that Asarco paid $33,000 in penalties. The agency said the company hadn’t complied with a plan to control windblown dust containing lead and other […]

The military now has at least 651 sites that have been contaminated with cancer-linked “forever chemicals,” a more than 50 percent jump from its last tally. The information was released Friday in a report from the Department of Defense (DOD), part of a task force designed to help the military remove a class of chemicals known […]

The Montana Supreme Court ruled largely in favor of roughly 1,200 plaintiffs Wednesday that say BNSF railway should be held liable for its part in contaminating Libby with asbestos. But, the court didn’t outline exactly what activities the railway could be held liable for, and to what extent. The Supreme Court found that federal regulations […]

Hundreds of residents are now plaintiffs in a mass case against Union Pacific alleging damages caused by legacy rail yard contamination in a north Houston neighborhood where higher rates of cancer were identified, said two local law firms. The Gibson Law Firm, of Houston, and the Voss Law Firm, of The Woodlands, are representing about […]

The Second Circuit ruled Thursday that Lloyd’s of London does not need to cover Olin Corp. for remediation costs stemming from a 2009 settlement of suits over groundwater contamination from a California plant, saying the settlement agreement’s terms as written preclude excess coverage. In an order affirming a decision from the Southern District of New York, […]

The cost to clean up a family of toxic “forever chemicals” that have polluted military bases across the country is expected to increase to at least $3 billion, a Defense Department official told House lawmakers today. The estimate for cleaning up chemicals such as perfluorinated carboxylic acid, or PFAS, used in firefighting foam is expected […]

Delaware’s congressional delegation is asking the Secretary of the Air Force to visit Dover Air Force Base to address concerns about elevated levels of chemical contaminants in wells near the military installation. State environmental regulators were recently notified by base officials that two more wells near the base may have levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, or […]