Latest Pollution Headlines
All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Lawmakers Release Plan to Extend Cap And Trade
Jul 12 2017 // Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have released a plan to extend through 2030 California’s cap-and-trade program, a key piece of the state’s quest to fight climate change by drastically reducing...
Swiss Re Bases Entire $130B Liquid Investment Portfolio on Ethical Principles
Jul 7 2017 // Swiss Re is switching the entire $130 billion it holds in liquid assets to track ethical indices, the latest move towards principled investments by the insurance industry. The world’s second-largest reinsurer is 90...
California Governor Pushing for Cap-And-Trade Deal Before Deadline
Jul 6 2017 // Gov. Jerry Brown is working with lawmakers, business groups and environmentalists to reach a deal on extending cap and trade, California’s landmark program aimed at slowing global warming. Brown wants a consensus...
Regulators Fine Georgia County $294K for Sewage Spills
Jun 27 2017 // DeKalb County in Georgia has been fined $294,000 for spilling sewage into public waterways and underreporting the number of spills to environmental regulators. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the fines were levied...
UK Plans $1B-Plus Investment in Driverless & Electric Vehicle Technology
Jun 22 2017 // The UK government plans to invest more than 800 million pounds ($1 billion) in new driverless and zero-emission vehicle technology as it seeks to boost its economy while leaving the European Union. Investment in research...
Texas Study Links Pollution, Earthquakes to Oil and Gas Drilling
Jun 21 2017 // A new study by a nonprofit science organization says oil and gas drilling in Texas is linked to pollution and earthquakes. The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas study found drilling for oil and gas in...
NYC Planners With Sandy Nightmares Say Barrier May Come Too Late
Jun 21 2017 // The warming Atlantic Ocean has raised the risk of another Hurricane Sandy. And still, trillions of dollars of real estate and infrastructure near the shores of New York City and northern New Jersey remain vulnerable to...
Senate Confirms New FEMA Chief Long
Jun 21 2017 // Brock Long was cleared by the Senate to become President Donald Trump’s emergency-management director Tuesday after gaining the support of one unlikely constituency: environmentalists. While climate advocates panned...
Supreme Court Sides with Chevron in Blocking Ecuador Pollution Liability Judgment
Jun 21 2017 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Chevron Corp. by preventing Ecuadorean villagers and their American lawyer from trying to collect on an $8.65 billion pollution judgment issued against the oil company...
Carbon Monoxide Leak Sickens 32 People in New York City
Jun 16 2017 // A carbon monoxide leak in a building three blocks from the World Trade Center sickened 32 people and raised alarm that shuttered several busy blocks in lower Manhattan at the start of the workday Tuesday, authorities...
Insurers Claim They’re Off The Hook for Duke Energy’s N.C. Coal Ash Spill Claims
Jun 16 2017 // Dozens of insurance companies say they’re not obligated to help pay for Duke Energy Corp.’s multi-billion dollar coal ash cleanup because the nation’s largest electric company long knew about but did...
XL Catlin Launches New Contractors Pollution Liability Express Program
Jun 15 2017 // XL Catlin has launched its new Contractors Pollution Liability Express Program in the US and Canada for small to mid-size construction firms. According to Cathy Cleary, XL Catlin’s executive environmental...
Hamptons Tainted Water Lawsuit Adds to Roster of 3M Complaints
Jun 14 2017 // A stone’s throw from the white sand beaches and posh mansions of one of America’s wealthiest ZIP codes sits a community that homeowners say has been poisoned by polluted drinking water. Fifteen people in a...
220,000 Dutch, English Consumers Sue VW Over Diesel Fraud
Jun 14 2017 // Around 220,000 car drivers in the Netherlands, England and Wales joined forces on Tuesday in what could become a pan-European lawsuit against German carmaker Volkswagen seeking compensation over its...
Shipping Losses Fall to Lowest in 10 Years as Technology Drives Safety
Jun 13 2017 // Large shipping losses have declined by 50 percent over the past decade and last year saw the lowest number of losses in the past 10 years. The favorable loss trend has been largely driven by improved safety, according to...
Climate Change Advocates Galvanized by Trump Decision
Jun 8 2017 // You’d think climate change activists now living under a new reality created by a U.S. president making good on his promise to withdraw the nation from the Paris accord on global warming would feel at least a bit...
W.R. Berkley Environmental and Entertainment/Sports Split to Run as Independent Units
Jun 8 2017 // W. R. Berkley Corp. has announced the formation of two independent operating units, Berkley Entertainment & Sports and Berkley Environmental. These units, which previously comprised Berkley Specialty Underwriting...
After 18 Months, Houston Hurricane Vulnerability Documents Arrive from Feds
Jun 8 2017 // Note: This article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. Eighteen months ago, the Texas Tribune and ProPublica asked the federal government for some documents. At the time, we were investigating what will happen the...
XL Catlin Promotes Gerbaud to Head International Environmental
Jun 7 2017 // XL Catlin’s insurance operations announced the promotion of Adias Gerbaud to head international environmental. In her newly expanded role, Gerbaud will be responsible for managing XL Catlin’s environmental...
Trump Hands Climate Leadership Role to China to Dismay of Global Leaders
Jun 2 2017 // President Donald Trump’s decision to isolate the U.S. on climate change triggered waves of complaints from government and business leaders around the world and handed China a golden opportunity to burnish its image...
