Latest Pollution Headlines

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

Pipeline Company Buying Homes Affected by Michigan Oil Spill

Aug 10 2010 // The Canadian company whose pipeline ruptured and dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into a southern Michigan waterway is buying two homes affected by the spill, and several other homeowners are considering...

Russian Troops Dig Canal to Keep Fires from Nuclear Plant

Aug 9 2010 // Russian troops dug a 8-km (5-mile) long canal to keep fires caused by a record heatwave away from a nuclear arms site, local media said on Saturday as air pollution from the crisis rose to more than six times above...

Monarch E&S Names Perry Senior Commercial Underwriter

Aug 5 2010 // Monarch E&S Insurance Services has hired Debbie Perry as a senior commercial underwriter to work out of its new Arizona office. She will write business in Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. Perry started in the insurance...

Great American Launches Contractors Environmental Liability Product

Aug 5 2010 // Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division has expanded its product line to include a project-specific contracting services environmental liability insurance product. This product offers a streamlined...

People

Aug 2 2010 // Thomas Allan has joined Boston-based Richards Robinson Sheppard Insurance as vice president. Allan specializes in construction accounts and has over 35 years of experience in the industry. Prior to joining Richards...

Upside of the Downside: P/C Brokers Serve Distressed Property Market

Aug 2 2010 // The vacant and distressed property segment has been a beacon of light for insurers and brokers as the economy has forced the closure of businesses and halted construction projects, resulting in a number of vacant buildings...

Distressed and Vacant Properties Fill a Void for Insurers

Aug 2 2010 // The vacant and distressed property segment, which was barely thought of two years ago, has been a beacon of light for insurers. This class has boomed in the past couple years as the economy has forced the closure of many...

BP Oil Spill Disaster Creates Opportunity for Environmental Contractors’ Market

Aug 2 2010 // Key Coverage Issues for Agents to Consider When Selling Pollution Coverage No matter which television channel or Web site you turn to, the Gulf oil spill has dominated the news. This is an environmental crisis that will...

U.S. Regulators Demand Fix for Failed Oil Pipeline in Michigan

Jul 30 2010 // U.S. regulators have told Canada’s Enbridge to detail a safety and repair plan for a failed oil pipeline in Michigan after warning in January the company appeared to be in violation of safety standards because it was...

Navigators Environmental Expands Coverage for New Contractor Risks

Jul 26 2010 // The Navigators Group, Inc.’s principal underwriting agency subsidiary, Navigators Management Co., Inc., has introduced the Contractor’s Environmental Risk Management (ERM) Toolkit II (“Toolkit II”),...

Tropical Storm Threatens Gulf Oil Disaster Containment

Jul 23 2010 // BP Plc oil spill workers in the Gulf of Mexico prepared for a possible evacuation Thursday as a tropical storm threatened more delays in attempts to end the environmental disaster. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said...

Distressed and Vacant Properties Fill a Void for Insurers

Jul 22 2010 // The vacant and distressed property segment, which was barely thought of two years ago, has been a beacon of light for insurers. This class has boomed over the last couple years as the economy has forced the closure of many...

Axis Forms Design Professionals, Environmental Liability Unit

Jul 20 2010 // AXIS Capital Holdings Limited’s AXIS Insurance segment has formed a design professionals & environmental liability unit that will specialize in providing coverage for architects, engineers, contractors,...

S&P: CNA’s Ratings ‘Unaffected’ by Asbestos Deal with National Indemnity

Jul 16 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that the ratings on CNA Financial Corp. (BBB-/Stable/–) and its core insurance operating companies (A-/Stable/–) are “unaffected by the company’s...

CNA Pays Berkshire $2 Billion to Assume Asbestos, Pollution Claims

Jul 15 2010 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will take over asbestos and environmental pollution risks now held by CNA Financial Corp. in exchange for a $2 billion fee. CNA, which is the nation’s seventh-largest...

Torus Launches Environmental Platform

Jul 12 2010 // Following the establishment of Management Liability, Healthcare and Renewable Energy practices earlier this year, Torus appointed sector specialist Adrianne Vigueras as vice president to develop tailored environmental...

Residential Contractor Umbrellas: Tough Sell in Tough Times

Jul 8 2010 // Residential construction is and has been an extremely important class of business for surplus lines insurers and agents. In recent years, however, demand for residential work in this country has dropped dramatically....

Ironshore Launches Combined Coverage for Vacant Buildings

Jul 8 2010 // Ironshore has introduced an insurance program to protect against adverse risk exposures for U.S. commercial properties that are vacant or partially occupied. Ironshore Property’s newest program, Ironshore Vacancy...

Florida Court Says Fishermen Can Sue Polluter; Is BP Next?

Jul 5 2010 // With BP’s offshore oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico as a backdrop, the Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that commercial fishermen may sue a company that discharged pollutants into Tampa Bay for lost income and...

Special Reuters Report: Oil Spill a Gusher for Lawyers; Litigation May Take Years

Jun 30 2010 // BP payout should far exceed what Exxon spent on Valdez The company’s $20 billion fund may not be enough Accountability may take years if not decades to assess Many federal laws allow civil, criminal liability From a...