Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Montana Settles with Asbestos Victims for $25M

Jan 27 2017 // The state of Montana has reached settlements totaling $25 million with more than 1,000 victims of asbestos-related disease over claims that health officials failed to bring attention to the hazards of a contaminated...

Lead Levels in Flint, Michigan, Water Fall Below Federal Limit

Jan 26 2017 // Flint’s water system no longer has levels of lead exceeding the federal limit, a key finding that Michigan state environmental officials said is good news for a city whose 100,000 residents have been grappling with...

Wells Fargo Market Outlook Has Favorable News for Cyber Security

Jan 26 2017 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Wells Fargo Insurance released its 2017 Insurance Market Outlook and Employee Benefits Outlook reports showing this year’s property/casualty insurance market will again be favorable to...

Report: Trump Administration Orders Removal of Climate Page from EPA’s Website

Jan 25 2017 // U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to remove the climate change page from its website, two agency employees told Reuters, the latest move by the newly...

Indiana Objects to Peabody Bankruptcy Plan, Cites Mine Cleanup Costs

Jan 24 2017 // Indiana and several environmental groups are objecting to a plan by Peabody Energy Corp to exit its $8 billion Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing concerns over how the company will cover about $1 billion in future mine cleanup...

Montana to Pay $25M to Asbestos Victims Under Settlements

Jan 23 2017 // The state of Montana has reached settlements totaling $25 million with more than 1,000 victims of asbestos-related disease over claims that health officials failed to bring attention to the hazards of a contaminated...

People

Jan 23 2017 // Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has appointed Todd R. Johnson, senior vice president and property-casualty practice leader of the USI Insurance Services’ (USI) Massachusetts offices located in Woburn, Needham and...

Global Temperatures Hit Record High for 3rd Year in Row in 2016

Jan 19 2017 // World temperatures hit a record high for the third year in a row in 2016, creeping closer to a ceiling set by the Paris climate change deal, with extremes including unprecedented heat in India and ice melt in the Arctic,...

High Levels of Lead Discovered at Western New York School District

Jan 18 2017 // Testing at 13 buildings belonging to a western New York school district returned results that confirmed the presence of elevated levels of lead in water at some schools. The Democrat & Chronicle reports nearly 14...

Report: Coal Ash Stored at Virginia Power Plant Vulnerable to Risks

Jan 17 2017 // Millions of tons of ash stored at a former coal-fired power plant in the city will become increasingly vulnerable to flooding and other coastal risks, according to a report compiled for an environmental group that is...

U.S. Charges Chrysler with Diesel Emissions Cheating

Jan 13 2017 // Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV was accused of violating pollution laws with 104,000 diesel vehicles, sending the shares plunging on the prospect the automaker may follow Volkswagen AG in facing billions of dollars in...

Renault Is Investigated for Suspected Emissions Cheating: Source

Jan 13 2017 // French prosecutors are investigating Renault over suspected cheating on vehicle exhaust emissions, a source at the Paris prosecutor’s office told Reuters on Friday, sending shares in the automaker lower. The probe...

Reuters: Beyond Flint, Thousands of Areas in U.S. Struggle with Lead Poisoning

Jan 11 2017 // On a sunny November afternoon in St. Joseph, Missouri, birthplace of the Pony Express and death spot of Jesse James, Lauranda Mignery watched her son Kadin, 2, dig in their front yard. As he played, she scolded him for...

XL Catlin Launches Environmental Solution in Ireland

Jan 11 2017 // XL Catlin announced the launch of a new environmental insurance solution in Ireland, which is tailored to address the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Guidance on Financial Provision for Environmental...

Beazley, VALE Partner on Environmental Coverage for Small, Mid-Sized Firms

Jan 9 2017 // Beazley has partnered with managing general agency VALE Insurance Partners to offer its environmental cover to US-domiciled firms with revenues of up to $15 million. VALE will offer the full suite of Beazley environmental...

Central California City Wins $22M from Shell Oil in Toxic Drinking Water Case

Jan 9 2017 // The central California city of Clovis in late December won a $22 million civil case against Shell Oil over the cleanup of a toxic chemical found in drinking-water wells, officials said. The chemical 1,2,3-trichloropropane,...

Judge Rules VW Must Face U.S. Investor Lawsuit Over Diesel Scandal

Jan 6 2017 // Volkswagen AG and former Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn must defend an investor lawsuit in California over the company’s diesel emissions cheating scandal, a U.S. judge has ruled. The plaintiffs, mostly...

New Hurricane Research Looks Like Good News for Atlantic Coast

Jan 5 2017 // Active Atlantic hurricane periods, like the one now, are not necessarily a harbinger of more, rapidly intensifying hurricanes along the U.S. coast, according to new research performed at the University of...

New Jersey Based AXON Underwriting Services Hires McMillan

Jan 4 2017 // AXON Underwriting Services LLC, a program administrator and service provider based in Somerville, N.J., has hired David McMillan as an underwriting manager. He joins the firm in order to further develop its growing...

Florida Judge Finds Pollution Notification Rule is Invalid

Jan 4 2017 // A Florida judge says a rule requiring companies to notify the public of pollution events within 24 hours is invalid. The new rule was pushed by Gov. Rick Scott after it took weeks for the public to be notified about a...