Source: http://www.post-gazette.com, June 6, 2011 By: Don Hopey GenOn Northeast Management Co. has agreed to pay $5 million to settle charges that wastewater discharges from its Conemaugh coal-fired power plant into the Conemaugh River violated the federal Clean Water Act on 8,684 days since 2005. The 13-page proposed settlement, which also requires the power plant […]

Source: http://www.denverpost.com, May 30, 2011 By: Bruce Finley As mountain snow starts to melt, trickling toxic acid laced with dissolved metals — arsenic, cadmium, copper, zinc — is fouling Colorado watersheds. Nobody dares try to stop it. Among the casualties: Peru Creek east of the Keystone ski area has been pronounced “biologically dead.” State environmental […]

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , May 19, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Companies whose specialty is treating wastewater are hoping for a surge of business after today’s deadline for natural gas drillers to voluntarily stop sending their toxic flowback from hydraulic fracturing to publicly owned treatment plants. “It’s a game changer. My phone is ringing off the […]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 12, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency authorized the cleanup of the Carter Carburetor plant in north St. Louis earlier this year, it was supposed to mark the beginning of the end for the industrial eyesore staining part of North Grand Boulevard. But a quarter-century after […]

Source: http://www.sbnonline.com, May 1, 2011 Virtually every real property deal carries a risk of environmental liability. Prior to acquiring or leasing a site, the business should consult a competent transactional lawyer to negotiate contractual protections in the contract or lease that minimize the exposure and risk of environmental liability. These protections may include lengthy due […]

Check out Tim Farrell’s article “Insurance Is Far More Than a Piece of Paper,” which is published in the April issue of Construction Executive Magazine. http://ow.ly/4A8yx

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental Most property transactions require a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment by either the contractual or lender agreement but does it fully protect the parties involved? There are limitations to a Phase I in that they only provide research into the historical use of the property. Whereas a Phase II assessment’s soil […]

Source: www.finanzen.net, January 24, 2011 Contractors and consultants are more vulnerable now than ever to environmental liabilities, from job site pollution incidents, to hidden dangers of site selection, which can cost hundreds of thousands in fines and legal fees. In addition, contractors and consultants face a growing array of environmental risks and liabilities due to […]

Publication Date 01/21/2011 Source: Post & Courier (Charleston, SC) Posted on: http://fpn.advisen.com A recent ruling from South Carolina’s highest court has general contractors throughout the state worried that they could be liable for paying potentially huge financial damages that their insurers traditionally covered. Property owners who sue builders for faulty workmanship — such as sloppily […]

The November 22, 2010 issue of National Underwriter featured Jeff Slivka’s article entitled, “Traditional E&O Risks Emerge From Sustainable Construction.”  The article focuses on green construction, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and the risks related to these and other green initiatives.  To read Jeff’s article, click here.

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental By Bob Hallenbeck, SVP, Sales & Marketing, Environmental Group Since the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1988, almost 200 military bases have been shuttered, mothballed, closed. Fortunately, while the military activities has long ceased, many closed military bases have not sat idle. Closed Bergstrom Air Force Base, near Austin, […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental By MaryAnn Susavidge, Executive Managing Underwriter, Environmental As Deepwater Horizon was added to the list of names — Exxon Valdez, Bhopal, Love Canal — synonymous with environmental disasters, businesses received a stark reminder that their activities have the potential to incur environmental liabilities. While they may have made a mental note of […]