Source: http://www.newsobserver.com, November 6, 2011 By: Joun Murawski To appreciate the promise and betrayal of the nation’s natural gas rush, look no further than this rural community in southwestern Pennsylvania where the 957 residents barely outnumber the dairy cows. Like dozens of farming communities in the state, the countryside here is dotted with drill pads, derricks, […]

Source: http://www.mininggazette.com, November 4, 2011 By: Garrett Neese Over the next year-and-a-half, crews will be removing asbestos and contaminated soil from the former Calumet & Hecla Mining Power Plant in Lake Linden. The contamination, which includes heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and copper, dates back to the mining days. Honeywell, Inc., the current owner […]

Source: Thomson Reuters News & Insight, November 4, 2011 As New York inches closer to approving the controversial gas-drilling method known as hydro-fracking, environmental groups and some state lawmakers are pushing for legislative changes to traditional tort litigation to assist property owners seeking damages if their water or soil is contaminated. State lawmakers are mulling […]

Source: Fayetteville Observer (NC), November 6, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Beneath an enormous storage tank, where almost 200,000 Fayetteville area residents get their drinking water, lies an elusive plume of groundwater contamination. State officials have known about the contamination, which comes from an abandoned textile mill next to the city’s water treatment plant, since the […]

Read here about the town of Dryden, NY, who is attempting to change zoning laws to restrict natural gas drilling.

Read here about a blueberry grower in Maine who has been cited for dumping blueberry waste into a river.

Source: Kansas City Star, October 27, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com As if Joplin weren’t already facing a massive rebuilding task, the city now must deal with significant and costly lead contamination stirred up by the May 22 tornado and its after-effects. City officials estimate that it could cost as much as $7.5 million to clean […]

Source: http://missoulian.com, October 24, 2011 By: Jenna Cederberg The Bonner Milltown Community Council has joined a chorus of worry over a revised cleanup plan that would leave almost three acres of contaminated soil on the old Stimson Lumber Co. sawmill site in Bonner. The state Department of Environmental Quality has accepted a revision to Stimson’s […]

Source: http://www.riskandinsurance.com, October 15, 2011 By: Rob Hughes For engineers and construction professionals, Marcellus Shale presents enticing opportunities, but firms need to weigh risks and seek the advice of a broker as pollution liability insurance policies differ by carrier. As engineering firms and construction professionals seek to capitalize on opportunities presented by the growing number […]

Source: http://www.riskandinsurance.com, October 15, 2011 By: Mitch Cohen, New Day Underwriting Managers Building information modeling technology eases the interaction between the owner, the design team and the general contractor, and that can raise the risk of higher professional liability exposures. In this tough economic environment, project owners are continually seeking the best methods for leveraging […]

Source: Ecology, Environment & Conservation, October 21, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com In July, it was reported in the Marin Independent Journal that former business owners of a retail store filed a lawsuit against their past landlords in Fairfax, California. The suit alleges that the property owners knew of improperly disposed of perchloroethylene at the shopping […]

Read here about the EPA’s plans to increase regulation of the natural gas extraction industry.