Latest Pollution Headlines

All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.

7 Firms Settle With EPA Over Alleged Underground Storage Tank Violations

Oct 31 2023 // The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken action against several companies including gas station operators in New Jersey, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands to address alleged violations of federal laws...

EPA Urges Ban on Chemical Cited in ‘Civil Action’ Movie About Massachusetts City

Oct 30 2023 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care and arts and...

EPA Proposes Banning Cancer-Causing Chemical TCE Used in Automotive Care

Oct 26 2023 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care and arts and...

New Jersey Town Sues to Overturn State’s ‘Woefully Inadquate’ Toxic Waste Deal

Oct 6 2023 // A Jersey Shore town where childhood cancer cases rose is trying to overturn a settlement between the state and the corporate successor to the company that dumped toxic waste into the water and ground for decades, turning...

Investigation Continues Into Deadly Illinois Crash of Truck Crash Carrying Toxic Chemical

Oct 3 2023 // Authorities resumed their investigation of a central Illinois truck crash that killed five people, injured five others and prompted an evacuation for hundreds of residents after a toxic chemical leak. The tanker truck,...

Markets/Coverages: Vantage Risk Offers U.S. Pollution, Professional Liability Insurance for Environmental Risks

Oct 2 2023 // Vantage Group Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based insurer and reinsurer, has extended its Contractors Pollution Liability (CPL) and professional liability offerings to environmental contractors and consultants, expanding the...

Kentucky Schools Adding More Electric Buses Thanks to EPA Grants

Sep 21 2023 // Blue Bird Corp., one of the largest and oldest makers of school buses, has fully embraced electric vehicles and will soon provide 13 electric buses to a Kentucky school district. Bowling Green Independent School District...

Environmental Groups Urge Regulators to Shut Down California Reactor Over Safety Concerns

Sep 19 2023 // Environmental groups called on federal regulators to immediately shut down one of two reactors at California’s last nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and...

Wisconsin Lawmakers Settle Pollution Violations with Factory Farms

Sep 15 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin lawmakers agreed Wednesday to settle allegations that two factory farms violated their pollution permits for more than a quarter of a million dollars. The Legislature`s Joint Finance...

Burns & Wilcox Acquires Alabama-based Environmental Underwriting Solutions

Sep 13 2023 // Burns & Wilcox, the wholesale insurance brokerage, has agreed to acquire Alabama-based Environmental Underwriting Solutions, a wholesale broker specializing in complex environmental exposures, from Insurance Office of...

Shuttered EPA Civil Rights Investigation Could’ve Brought `Meaningful Reform` in Cancer Alley, Documents Show

Sep 7 2023 // NEW ORLEANS (AP) – As industrial plants have overtaken historic Black communities and burdened neighborhoods with toxic air pollution, environmental advocates and residents of Louisiana’s chemical corridor have...

OSHA Orders Vermont Firm to Rehire Environmental Whistleblower, Pay Damages

Aug 29 2023 // In early June 2022, an employee of a Vermont agricultural equipment company observed the company pumping wastewater from the facility’s service bays onto the ground bordering the Winooski River in Berlin and was...

Texas Files Lawsuit Against Shell, Alleging $1M in Environmental Damage from Petrochemical Plant Fire

Aug 16 2023 // AUSTIN, Texas (AP) __ Texas is suing Shell and is seeking more than $1 million, alleging a fire at the oil giant`s Houston-area petrochemical plant damaged the environment. The May 5 fire at the plant in the suburb of Deer...

Growing ‘Greenlash’ Fuels Fears for Europe’s Environmental Ambitions

Aug 11 2023 // A growing ‘greenlash’ against Europe’s environmental agenda has not so far derailed its decarbonization plans, but looming elections could put future climate and nature measures at risk. The European...

Severn Trent Faces First UK Class Action Suit Over Sewage Pollution

Aug 9 2023 // Severn Trent Plc faces an environment class action lawsuit in London over allegations it abused its dominant position in the utilities market and underreported instances where it pumped sewage into open water. Law firm...

Cleanup from Chemical Spill that Shut Down I-24 in Tennessee Could Take Time

Aug 7 2023 // Cleanup from a chemical spill and fire near Interstate 24 in Tennessee will take several days, after the interstate was shut down and nearby homes evacuated overnight on Thursday. Emergency responders were called to the...

Missouri Chemical Plant Fined $393K for Safety and Health Violations

Jul 21 2023 // Less than two years after an investigation found dozens of serious safety and health violations at a Verona, Missouri chemical plant, workplace safety inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor identified 16 violations,...

Groups Argue Wisconsin Regulators Can’t Make Factory Farms Obtain Preemptive Pollution Permits

Jul 18 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) __ Wisconsin regulators can`t legally impose environmental regulations on factory farms before they become operational, two farm advocacy groups allege in a lawsuit that could dramatically loosen...

National Grid to Pay $5.3M to Settle Gloucester Environmental Damage Claims

Jul 10 2023 // \National Grid agreed to pay $5.38 million to state and federal agencies to resolve claims over environmental damage caused by the defunct Gloucester Gas Light Company, officials said Friday. Hazardous chemicals released...

EPA’s Lax Enforcement Leaves Thousands of Lead Pipes in Chicago Drinking Water

Jul 10 2023 // Even though lead in drinking water damages children`s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes. Consider Chicago, with more water pipes made out of lead than...