Source: http://www.sfgate.com, October 16, 2012 By: David R. Baker A lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses California regulators of turning a blind eye to the dangers of fracking, in defiance of the state’s tough environmental laws. The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court by five environmental groups, would force the state office that oversees oil drilling […]

Source: http://bostonglobe.com, October 4, 2012 By: Brock Parker Lexington has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages on behalf of itself and other Massachusetts school districts affected by potentially harmful levels of chemicals known as PCBs. The suit, against Pharmacia Corp., Solutia Inc., and Monsanto Co., claims the makers of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, […]

Source: http://articles.courant.com, November 2, 2012 By: Christopher Hoffman The developer seeking to build luxury homes on Cedar Mountain agreed in June to pay a $741,000 penalty to resolve more than 600 alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act nationwide. Toll Brothers, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, allegedly failed over a period of years […]

Source: http://www.tampabay.com, November 6, 2012 By: Craig Pittman The company that designed Tampa Bay Water’s cracked reservoir deserves $9.2 million in attorneys’ fees and $10.8 million in expenses for defending itself against the utility’s unsuccessful lawsuit, the federal judge overseeing the case ruled. U.S. District Judge James Whittemore called the fees “extraordinary” but explained in […]

Source: http://www.mineweb.com, November 6, 2012 By: Dorothy Kosich Facing liquidity concerns and a weaker rare earths market, Molycorp is suing the engineering firm it considers responsible for delays and cost overruns at its flagship Mountain Pass facility expansion. U.S. rare earths producer Molycorp has sued the engineering firm formerly in charge of designing the chemical […]

Source: http://www.pe.com, October 26, 2012 By: Janet Zimmerman Companies that produced fireworks at a Rialto industrial site where perchlorate contaminated the water supply have agreed to pay $5.7 million — the first of three settlements expected to total more than $100 million, officials said. The money will cover cleanup costs and reimburse residents who have […]

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com, November 2, 2012 The ACE Group today announced the release of an environmental advisory entitled, “Legionella and Mold: Construction and Renovation Risks at Healthcare Facilities,” which explores the potential risks of pollutants, such as mold and legionella, that hospitals and healthcare facilities can experience during renovation or construction projects. The advisory examines ways […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, November 2, 2012 By: Scott W. Davis, Bricker & Eckler LLP “The Heiles argue that the policy exclusions relied on by State Auto do not apply here. Indeed, the policy is riddled with definitions, exclusions, exceptions, exceptions to the exclusions and exclusions to the exceptions.” Heile v. State Auto. Mut. Ins. Co. (1999), […]

Source:  http://www.lexology.com, October 26, 2012 By: Stephen R. Berlin, Julie R. Domike and Richard L. Sieg of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) recently settled an enforcement action with The University of Massachusetts System (UMASS) for alleged violations of the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). This action concerns […]

Read here about a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that homeowner’s insurance does not cover damages from Chinese drywall.  

Read here about a diesel fuel spill that resulted from Hurricane Sandy.

Source: http://triblive.com, October 23, 2012 By: Tory N. Parrish The value of claims filed as a result of an asphalt spill on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last year has more than doubled to $1.7 million since June. Attorney Thomas Frampton, the court-appointed special master for the case in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, has received 616 […]