Source: The News-Item, Shamokin, PA, February 13, 2012 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com The continued outbreak of mold inside homes flooded last September is proving of great concern in Shamokin and Coal Township, and a relief agency is calling on volunteers to help remove it. Representatives of Central Susquehanna Opportunities Inc. have assessed or cleaned more than […]

Source: http://californiawatch.org, February 9, 2012 By: Corey G. Johnson Under pressure from construction, architect and other industry groups, state legislators killed a bill that would have closed a loophole used by businesses to evade pollution lawsuits. Sponsored by Assemblyman Warren Furutani, D-Long Beach, AB 1207 arose out of a lawsuit in Carson, where residents discovered […]

Source: http://www.kxxv.com, February 6, 2012 By: Adam Shear The City of Hewitt is planning to remove traces of asbestos from some of their buildings that they discovered when they began a renovation project. The city found the traces of the hazardous material in the flooring of two bathrooms in their police department and in ceiling […]

Source: http://blog.al.com, February 7, 2012 By: Connie Baggett Almost a year after routine monitoring showed increased levels of arsenic and vinyl chloride in groundwater test wells at Baldwin County’s Magnolia Landfill, officials are set to approve a $33,765 investigation to find the sources. County and state officials dismissed elevated arsenic and vinyl chloride testing in […]

Source: http://www.jdsupra.com, February 3, 2012 By: Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP In its recent decision in Sunnyside Dev. Co., LLC v. Chartis Specialty Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9392 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 26, 2012), the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York demonstrated the consequences that an insurer faces when allowing […]

Source: Dow Jones News Service, February 8, 2012 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com (From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL) More than 10 years after the last steelmaking operations were closed down at the Bethlehem Steel Corp. plant in Pennsylvania, its 1,800-acre site is slowly attracting new businesses. A casino operated by Las Vegas Sands Corp. opened in 2009. […]

Source: http://www.inforum.com, February 4, 2012 By: Amy Dalrymple North Dakota State University is suing three contractors over the December 2009 collapse of Minard Hall, a setback that authorities say added nearly $5 million to the cost of renovating the largest academic building on campus. In a court complaint, the attorney for NDSU alleges 21 counts […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, February 3, 2012 XL Group’s insurance segment has launched enhanced pollution protection for real estate portfolios. The product will be available through the segment’s environmental team. The new product is aimed toward portfolio property owners and managers, developer and redevelopers, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). However, all types of portfolios – commercial, […]

Source: Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), February 3, 2012 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com A lawsuit claiming a boy was sickened by longstanding moldy conditions at his elementary school will move forward against the School Board and two of its employees, albeit with fewer claims, a judge decided this week. Circuit Judge Rodham T. Delk Jr. dismissed claims of simple negligence […]

Source: Beazley, A&E Reporter, Volume 7, Issue 1 – January 2012 In this edition of “You Asked, We Answer!” we address the question of whether a design professional should admit liability to its client if it’s obvious the design professional made a mistake on a project. From a risk management and professional liability perspective, there […]

Source: Beazley, A&E Reporter, Volume 7, Issue 1 – January 2012 New Mexico Statute Prohibits Choice of Law Provisions Design professionals performing services on projects located in New Mexico are advised that the New Mexico legislature passed House Bill 64 which enacted NMSA (1978) 57-28A-1, and applies to all construction contracts entered into on or after […]

Source: Beazley, A&E Reporter, Volume 7, Issue 1 – January 2012 By: Colleen M. Palmer, Esq. Happy New Year from Beazley Group! As we begin the new year, we take this opportunity to highlight some important case law of 2011 affecting the design and construction industry. Duty of Care: Lack of median barrier creates legal […]