Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA), March 3, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com An oil company has sued to block San Benito County’s voter-approved fracking ban in a move that could affect the growing trend of California cities and counties’ efforts to stop the controversial oil drilling practice of hydraulic fracturing. In the lawsuit, Citadel Exploration, […]

Source: Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com California officials, responding to concerns about groundwater contamination, are closing 12 wells in the Central Valley used to dispose of chemical-laden water from oil and gas production, regulators announced Tuesday. Steve Bohlen, who leads the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, said the […]

Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV), March 4, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com, March 4, 2015 Attorneys are looking at ways to bring the Freedom Industries bankruptcy case to conclusion, first and foremost by dealing with obligations under a West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection remediation program and selling the Etowah River property. Tuesday’s hearing in federal […]

Source: The Independent (UK), March 3, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com British American Tobacco has dumped its auditors PwC and taken them to court over a potential $1bn (651m pounds) US environmental damages bill. It is the latest in a long line of tests for the Big Four auditing firm, which is still reeling from accusations […]

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 11, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com The lawsuit of 241 Washington County residents against the owner and operator of a fuel pipeline that spilled gasoline onto a Town of Jackson farm field in July 2012 has been settled. Washington County Circuit Judge Todd Martens on Wednesday approved the agreement and dismissed […]

Source: http://constfpn.advisen.com, March 11, 2015 By: John Carver and Todd M. Rowe Recent news investigations have brought to light allegations that flooring manufactured in China may use glue that contains the toxin formaldehyde. The potential for insurance claims increases each day as homeowners begin to remove this toxic flooring from their homes. Unfortunately, we saw […]

Source: Oregonian (Portland, OR), March 6, 2015 By: Tony Hernandez Multnomah County taxpayers will recoup the money spent on the Morrison Bridge decking that fell apart shortly after it was installed, a jury decided Friday. Jurors, after an 11-day trial, awarded the county $4.4 million in its lawsuit against the contractor and subcontractors. At the […]

Source: Hartford Courant (CT), March 7, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Caulk used in the construction of Clark Elementary School is laden with PCBs and may be a reason why the school’s air is tainted with the hazardous chemical, the district’s consultants said in a report Friday. Samples taken from the public school revealed PCB levels […]

Source: Houston Chronicle, March 8, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com In the 1950s, decades before LeRoy Melcher became a well-known real estate tycoon and philanthropist, he opened his first shopping center on San Felipe Road in River Oaks. It was a modest 12,000 square feet, with a convenience store at one end, and at the other, […]

Source: UPI Top Stories, March 8, 2015 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com The Environmental Protection Agency said that Thursday’s oil train derailment and spill in Illinois poses an “imminent and substantial danger” of contaminating the Mississippi River. The Galena River and the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge are also threatened. Fires resulting from the derailment […]

Source: http://www.welding-rod-dangers.com An Illinois jury awarded Lawrence Elam, a 65–year old man with Parkinson’s disease, $1 million based on his exposure to manganese–containing welding fumes. Three welding rod companies were named in his lawsuit—Lincoln Electric, Hobart Brothers and the BOC Group. The year was 2003, and after decades, it was the first successful attempt to […]

Occupational exposure to manganese fumes emitted when filler materials are burned during welding has been related to the development of early Parkinson’s Disease or a similar condition called manganism in some welders. A research team from Washington University found that some professional welders developed signs of Parkinson’s disease an average of 15 years earlier than […]