Source: http://bangordailynews.com, June 19, 2014 By: Judy Harrison A Syracuse University professor testified Thursday in a civil trial in U.S. District Court that the need for mercury remediation in the Penobscot River “is urgent.” “I am very confident that cost-effective remedies could be done to improve the mercury levels in the Penobscot River,” said Charles […]

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com, June 19, 2014 By: Julieta Chiquillo An investigation into the concrete cracking at Allen ISD’s stadium has found that the problems extend far beyond the concourse and mainly involve failures in design. Engineers found defects from the press box to the main scoreboard. Yet officials hope to reopen the stadium by graduation day […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, June 19, 2014 By: Stephanie K. Jones When it comes to the use of evolving technologies such as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in oil and gas production one big question insurance companies are faced with is: to insure or not to insure? That is a key question for underwriters, according to Robert Weireter, […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, June 19, 2014 A Missouri appeals court has thrown out $240 million in punitive damages awarded to 16 eastern Missouri residents who sued over health problems from the Herculaneum lead smelter. A jury awarded the damages against former smelter owners Fluor Corp., A.T. Massey Coal and Doe Run Investment Holding Co. after a […]

Source: http://californianewswire.com, June 17, 2014 By: Valerie Gotten Riveting, heartrending, and – ultimately – persuasive testimony elicited by attorneys from the law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg led a Manhattan jury on Monday to award $25 million in damages to two victims of asbestos exposure, the plaintiffs’ attorneys today announced. The jury decided that Ivan […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, May 21, 2014 By: Albert “Bert” H. Acken and Julie A. Rosen, Ryley Carlock & Applewhite Evaluating environmental risks associated with real estate transactions is a standard, and often standardized, practice for sophisticated real estate practitioners. However, in light of several recent developments – the uptick in transactions from the nadir of the […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, June 16, 2014 By: Stephanie K. Jones The insurance capacity is there to cover the risks associated with the current oil and gas boom in Texas and the nation, experts say, but agents and their customers should be vigilant in their efforts to understand the wording in coverage contracts. As of April 17, Texas alone claimed […]

Read here about a class action pollution lawsuit in Iowa that has been reinstated.

Read here about a fracking ban that was passed by the New York state Assembly.

Source: http://www.northjersey.com, June 13, 2014 By: Scott Fallon Although federal officials say there is no money to clean up the polluted water spreading underneath a Garfield neighborhood, they still have enough funds to remove contamination from basements and perform a pilot study to determine how best to treat the groundwater eventually. Officials at the U.S. […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, June 12, 2014 By: Hunton & Williams LLP On May 29, 2014, the Supreme Court of Nevada held in Century Surety Company v. Casino West, Inc., No. 60622 (Nev. May 29, 2014), that a general liability policy’s absolute pollution exclusion and an indoor air quality exclusion are ambiguous and do not bar coverage […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, June 9, 2014 By: John M. Clark and Marie S. Reilly, Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton LLC During the past year, five state supreme courts (Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, North Dakota and West Virginia) have found that faulty workmanship by a construction contractor or subcontractor can be a covered “occurrence.” Ignoring precedent, the […]