In the News: Pollution Events Around the Country
Recent environmental news stories:
Environmental Liabilities Are Now a Deal-Breaker in M&A
Acquirers who treat environmental exposure as a legal formality are discovering it post-close — as valuation write-downs, shareholder litigation, and breach of fiduciary duty suits. The conditions that created that exposure are accelerating.
Oklahoma reaches fourth settlement in 20-year poultry pollution lawsuit
Peterson Farms Inc. has agreed to pay $950,000 for remediation and conservation projects in the Illinois River Watershed plus attorneys fees. It also agreed to pay $50,000 toward a special master to monitor implementation, according to the agreement.
Property of former Grand Rapids metal manufacturer labeled PFAS contamination site
The former site of a longtime Grand Rapids metal manufacturer has been declared a PFAS contamination site by the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team.
Chemical spill reported at solar facility near elementary school in York County
A chemical spill was reported at a solar facility near an elementary school in York County. The spill involving potassium hydroxide happened at the Silfab Solar facility along Logistics Lane in Fort Mill.
US Appeals Court upholds pollution exclusions despite regulatory permits
A US federal appeals court has ruled that regulatory permits allowing emissions do not override pollution exclusions in insurance policies, concluding that an insurer had no duty to defend claims tied to long-term hazardous emissions.
Cleanup underway to remove lead contaminated soil at Elkhart’s former C.G. Conn site
The city is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to remove lead from the former C.G. Conn band instrument site on Beardsley Ave with the goal of bringing the historic property back to productive use.
20,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaks from Spartanburg holding tanks, contaminating local creek
Roughly 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from holding tanks at a facility, and cleanup crews from the company and the Environmental Protection Agency have been working for days to clean it up.
Chemical Company Tees Up “Sudden and Accidental” Pollution Exclusion: Will California Supreme Court Follow Through?
We are on the cusp of another milestone in the decades-long chemical company litigation, which has already yielded many important precedents in California on coverage for so-called “long-tail” pollution liabilities.
Oregon landfill’s $3 million fine for air pollution biggest ever issued by state
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a civil penalty of more than $3 million for air quality violations at a landfill north of Corvallis – the regulatory agency’s biggest fine ever.
Zug Island coke refinery fined $100M, ordered to comply with pollution standards
A U.S. court has ordered the company running a Zug Island refinery in Detroit to pay a penalty of $100 million US for its sulphur dioxide pollution.
Fuel spill at Atlanta’s airport contaminates Flint River, raising concerns over water safety and transparency
A fuel spill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is contaminating a nearby river and sparking outcry from environmental advocates and residents, who say airport officials aren’t doing enough to keep the waterway clean.
Toxic Dioxane Plume Near Ann Arbor Declared EPA Superfund Site
The U.S. EPA has added a site in Michigan to the Superfund National Priorities List, a designation for the nation’s most contaminated sites. This will shift oversight of the decades-old 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume from the state to the federal agency, allowing for more aggressive cleanup efforts.
If you have questions about how news stories like these can impact your clients and their coverage, please contact us.