Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com, January 24, 2012 Two environmental groups and McKeesport’s municipal authority have settled a federal lawsuit that claimed the city was violating state and federal environmental laws by treating wastewater from Marcellus shale drilling operations, according to court documents. Attorneys for both sides and representatives for the city, the municipal authority, Clean Water Action […]

Source: http://www.timesfreepress.com, January 20, 2012 By: Todd South Testimony in a federal criminal trial Thursday focused on how unprotected workers cleared asbestos-covered debris from the site of a demolished Chattanooga textile plant. In the sixth day of trial for three men and two businesses charged with fraud and intentional environmental regulation violations, prosecution witnesses described […]

Source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com, January 20, 2012 By: Tom Shortell Northampton County has shut down parts of Gracedale nursing home’s basement after tests revealed too-high levels of asbestos, officials confirmed Thursday. Northampton County Executive John Stoffa and Director of Administration Tom Harp said a maintenance shop, carpenter shop, break room and a storage room where wheelchair and […]

Source: http://www.out-law.com What is BIM? Building Information Modelling (BIM) uses software to create a model of a building that reacts to change in the way that the real building would. It is designed to make an integrated and collaborative approach to construction possible. Some users use BIM systems as advanced Computer Aided Design (CAD), others as […]

Read here about low levels of asbestos that have been found in wood chips being sold by a Montana Superfund Site for use in landscaping.

Source: http://www.riskandinsurance.com, January 10, 2012 By: Jared Shelly State regulators have asked for a moratorium on injection wells from fracking. Opponents of hydraulic fracturing often vehemently declare that the natural gas drilling process leads to unsafe drinking water in homes around fracking sites — sometimes the water is so gaseous it can be lit on […]

Source: National Real Estate Investor, January 9, 2012 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com When sustainability standards for commercial buildings were introduced in the mid-1990s, contractors were often expected to provide guarantees that the property would receive certification for the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or Energy Star. But since professionals […]

Read here about how opponents of hydraulic fracturing in New York are looking to enact local laws to ban the practice.

Source: “Legal Insights,” A Publication of Havkins Rosenfeld Ritzert & Varriale, LLP, Spring 2011-Volume 5, Issue 1 By: Tara C. Fappiano Deep within the earth is a layer of sedimentary rock that is the gas-rich Marcellus Shale, a substantial portion of which lies in the Southern Tier, Twin Tiers and Catskills region of New York State. Hydro-fracking, […]

Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO), December 20, 2011 Posted on: http://enr.construction.com A new study led by a University of Colorado engineering professor shows that green construction poses more dangers than traditional projects — partly because workers are more likely to be cut on recycled construction materials or fall while installing solar panels. Matthew R. Hallowell, […]

Source: New York Times Online, December 18, 2011 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com Amwell Township is a 44-square-mile plot of steep ravines and grassy pasturelands planted with alfalfa, trefoil and timothy in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. Its home to some 4,000 people, most of whom live in villages named Amity, Lone Pine and Prosperity. From some […]

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com, December 17, 2011 By: Ashley Portero While hydraulic fracturing has been employed in Western states for years by oil and gas companies seeking to extract valuable natural gas from deep within the ground, the controversial process has remained largely unregulated while simultaneously coming under scrutiny due to concerns about its potentially harmful effects […]