Source: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/, January 9, 2020 by: Lisa Sorg Toxic PFAS — perfluorinated compounds — are known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the human body and the environment for decades, if not hundreds of years.    It also takes forever to pass permanent environmental standards regulating them.   North Carolina plans to enact stronger rules for one type of PFAS, also known as —perfluorinated compounds — toxic chemicals that […]

By: Mitchell Cohen, PE, Vice President, RT Specialty An under-construction structure located in the southern US suffered a catastrophic collapse without warning. The tragedy resulted in the death of several people. As a result, engineering and construction post-collapse forensics experts engaged in an 18-month investigation. Those involved in the design and build project included the general […]

Source: https://www.irmi.com/, December 2019 By: Jeff Slivka Call it whatever you want—owners protective, protective, “Opie,” or owners protective professional indemnity (OPPI)—the coverage has secured its place as a valuable option to owners looking to protect against the catastrophic design errors that can occur during nearly any construction project. In fact, nearly 10 separate insurers offer […]

By: Brittany Negron, Consultant, RT’s Environmental & Construction Professional Practice January 6, 2020 Throughout the industry, nation and even world, the health risks and liabilities surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) are rising at a fever pitch. In use since the 1940s, PFAS consisting of approximately 4,000 separate chemicals and compounds are everywhere since they’ve […]

Source: https://www.wcax.com/, January 1, 2020 A federal judge has ruled Vermont residents seeking damages for chemical contamination in groundwater in their neighborhood will be allowed to seek the costs of medical monitoring. The Bennington Banner reports the ruling by U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford on Friday means the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against Saint-Gobain […]

Source: Associated Press, January 4, 2020 Posted on: https://www.advisen.com/ The former owner of an Alaska crude oil refinery has been ordered to pay millions in damages for releasing large amounts of a refinery solvent, sulfolane, into groundwater and polluting hundreds of residents’ drinking water wells. Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Warren Matthews in Fairbanks ordered […]

Source: https://www.insurancejournal.com/, December 27, 2019 A company has agreed to pay the state of Georgia $4 million for environmental cleanup of a former chemical plant. The Brunswick News reports Honeywell International has filed the settlement with the state Department of Natural Resources in federal court in Atlanta. Read more.

Source: https://www.wastedive.com/, January 3, 2020 By: E.A. Crunden PFAS do not decompose in the environment and are linked to cancer and other health hazards. Unlike many other states grappling with PFAS contamination, Connecticut is largely reliant on incinerators and has no active MSW landfills. But, as evidenced by the new cleanup projects, the state is unable […]

Source: https://www.inquirer.com/, January 3, 2020 By: Justine McDaniel The Air Force will spend nearly $3 million to permanently stop PFAS-contaminated water from flowing off a former Montgomery County base into local waterways, officials said Friday. The agreement to fund the fix comes after more than two years of requests from local residents and officials to address the […]

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/, December 24, 2019 By: Bill Laitner It was no merry splash of holiday color when a bright-green liquid gushed from a freeway wall onto Interstate 696 in Michigan during Friday’s rush hour. The green gusher backed up thousands of motorists, requiring first a one-lane closure, then two lanes – likely to last at least through this week. […]

Source: https://www.benningtonbanner.com/, December 30, 2019 By: Jim Therrien Residents suing Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics over PFOA contamination around former ChemFab Corp. plants here will be allowed to seek the costs of medical monitoring for illnesses associated with the industrial chemical. Judge Geoffrey Crawford ruled Friday in U.S. District Court that the plaintiffs in a class-action suit […]

Source: Dow Jones News Service, January 2, 2020 Posted on: https://www.advisen.com/ Duke Energy Corp. has agreed to move 80 million tons of coal ash to lined landfills at six power plant sites in what state regulators are calling the biggest cleanup of its type in U.S. history. The compromise between Duke Energy, state regulators and […]