Source: http://www.lexology.com, June 6, 2012 By: Jason E. Yearout, Baker & Hostetler LLP On May 22, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed House Bill 1123, which addresses the state legal standards for civil liability for damages caused by exploration and production activity in deep shale deposits in the Marcellus Shale formation. The Marcellus Shale territory stretches […]

Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (TX), June 6, 2012 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as it’s known, carries with it certain risks, but some experts say the benefits and dollars outweigh environmental concerns. Fracking consists of injecting large amounts of water mixed with sand and chemicals at high pressure to break up rock formations far […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, May 21, 2012 By: Jonathan Carr, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP We continue to follow the Chinese drywall litigation. A piece of this litigation closed last week, as a Florida real estate developer agreed to a settlement with a class of condominium owners who alleged that drywall manufactured in China that was used […]

Source: Business Insurance, June 1, 2012 By: Mike Tsikoudakis A California construction company has agreed to a civil penalty of $170,000 for illegally dumping fill material into wetlands. Fortuna, Calif.-based Wendt Construction Co. Inc. on Thursday entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that included the fine for unpermitted dumping of fill […]

Source: http://www.natlawreview.com By: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-America Pipeline Company, LLC (MAPCO), and Enterprise Products Operating LLC (Enterprise), of Houston, Texas, have agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $1 million to the United States to settle violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to three natural gasoline pipeline spills in Iowa, […]

Read here about a Texas company that will be over $1 million for spills that occurred in 3 states.

Source: Newark Patch, May 28, 2012 Ruling last week adds to list of firms involved with dioxin contamination at Ironbound’s Shamrock site Another firm has been deemed liable for pollution in the lower Passaic River in Newark, the latest chapter in a 30-year fight to rehabilitate Newark’s stretch of the waterway, the state Department of […]

Source: Houston Chronicle, May 28,2012 Posted on: http://enr.construction.com By: Jennifer A. Dlouhy The oil and gas drilling boom that has sent thousands of workers and rigs into North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Texas now is spurring another gold rush, as companies jockey to clean up the briny, metal-laden water that pours out of wells nationwide. […]

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com, May 24, 2012 Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG /quotes/zigman/3001209/quotes/nls/awh AWH -0.05% announced today that Allied World U.S. has launched a new product and risk management service for its Environmental insurance policyholders. The new Contractors Professional and Pollution Liability (CPP) Policy is part of Allied World’s expanded product offering for the Construction industry. The company […]

By:  Jeff Slivka, New Day Underwriting Managers, LLC Posted on:  http://www.irmi.com The world of sustainable construction is constantly evolving with the introduction of new green construction products and the rising interest in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified projects. Approximately 20 different states have green buildings codes with a new array of “eco-friendly” products […]

Read this article from Cozen O’Connor here.

Source: Business Insurance, May 17, 2012 By: Judy Greenwald Vermont became the first state in the country to ban the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, which is widely known as fracking, when Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the ban into law Wednesday. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that uses high-pressure water, sand and chemicals to free […]