Source: http://www.lexology.com, January 15, 2014] By: Jake P. Skaggs, Cozen O’Connor Energy production in the United States is at an all-time high. In 2013, an average of 7.5 million barrels of oil were pumped every day, which bested the previous production record (2012) by one million barrels. Domestic oil production has increased every year from […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, January 17, 2014 By: T. David Higgins, Jr., Cozen O’Connor Following the January 9 leak of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) into the Elk River from Freedom Industries’ storage facility in Charleston, W.Va., the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Water and Waste Management issued a “Cease Operations Order” to Freedom Industries Etowah […]

Source: http://www.propertycasualty360.com, January 21, 2014 By: Phil Gusman Insurers may be underestimating their exposure to a coming “third wave of asbestos liabilities” by relying on outdated assumptions and not accounting for factors such as longer life expectancy and advances in medical knowledge, a research firm says. In a January briefing, Assured Research, a research and […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, January 21, 2014 By: Brian Margolies, Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP In its recent decision in Two Farms, Inc. v. Greenwich Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1629 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 7, 2014), the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York had occasion to consider the whether the phrase […]

Source: http://www.agriview.com, January 22, 2014 According to the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals has recently ruled that manure spread by a farmer as fertilizer onto his fields was not a pollutant subject to exclusion from coverage under his farm owners’ insurance policy. The farmer used manure […]

Source: http://www.trenchlessonline.com, January 21, 2014 Faulty workmanship is a risk that specialty contractors, such as utility and excavation contractors, face with each project they take on. Problems can come from a variety of factors and often take years to arise. For this reason, utility and excavation contractors need insurance coverages built for their unique exposures. […]

Read here about potential health dangers that have been found from chemical releases at a Missouri pet food plant.

Source: Dow Jones News Service, January 22, 2014 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com State regulators have ordered Freedom Industries to disclose all the chemicals that spilled when a storage tank leaked and contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. The state Department of Environmental Protection said it has given the company until 4 p.m. Wednesday to provide […]

Source: http://envfpn.advisen.com, January 20, 2014 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Researchers from Duke and Boston universities said on Thursday that nearly 5,900 leaks from aging natural gas pipelines were found beneath the streets of Washington. According to Media, the researchers said in a report made public on Thursday that a dozen of the 5,893 leaks found during […]

Source: http://www.businessinsurance.com, January 17, 2014 By: Bill Kenealy The recent release of a hazardous chemical in a river near Charleston, W.Va., has set the stage for a protracted legal battle for the companies involved in the spill and their respective insurers, experts say. The leakage of thousands of gallons of coal-processing chemical methylcyclohexane methanol from […]

Source: http://www.elkintribune.com By: Wendy Wood This week, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed motions to allow seven local conservation groups to participate in state court enforcement actions against Duke Energy’s illegal coal ash pollution throughout North Carolina. The motion was filed on behalf of groups dedicated to protecting public waters across North Carolina, from […]

Read here about potential exposures to water from coal in the West Virginia chemical spill.