environmental liability News

Claimants for Deadly Mariana Dam Collapse File Injunction Against BHP, Vale

Lawyers representing claimants taking legal action over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster filed an injunction this week against miners BHP and Vale for “trying to derail” a potential 36 billion-pound ($46 billion) London lawsuit. More than 720,000 Brazilians, including 46 local …

Brazil States Ask Court to Double Amount Vale, BHP Should Pay for Mining Disaster

Two Brazilian states have asked a court to more than double the amount that miners Vale and BHP, plus a jointly owned tie-up, must pay in damages for a 2015 deadly tailings dam failure, according to a legal document seen …

Brazil Rejects Vale, BHP Settlement Offer for Deadly 2015 Mining Disaster

Brazil and the state of Espirito Santo have rejected a proposal by miners Vale and BHP regarding reparations for the deadly 2015 Mariana tailings dam burst, the federal government said on Friday. The statement did not include Minas Gerais state, …

Vale, BHP Offer $25B Settlement for Mining Disaster, but Brazil Authorities Want More

Vale, BHP and their joint venture Samarco have presented Brazilian authorities with a settlement proposal related to reparations for the 2015 Mariana tailings dam burst, but local prosecutors still want them to bump up their offer. The proposal, the Brazilian …

Vale Faces $3.8 Billion Claim in Dutch Case Over Mariana Dam Break in Brazil

Victims of the 2015 Mariana dam break in Brazil are seeking about 3 billion pounds ($3.8 billion) in compensation from mining companies Vale and Samarco in a new lawsuit launched in the Netherlands, their lawyers said on Tuesday. The compensation …

Connecticut Residents Sue Kimberly-Clark Over PFAS Use That Firm Denies

Some of manufacturer Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s neighbors in New Milford, Connecticut believe the paper goods manufacturer has contaminated their soil and drinking water with PFAS chemicals. Three of them have filed a proposed class action claiming that contamination from the manufacturer’s …

West Virginia Bill Stokes Fears About Pesticide-Producing Logging Facility

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia bill approved by the House of Delegates on Tuesday that limits counties from regulating agricultural operations is stoking fears that a logging company could resurrect plans to build a toxic-spewing fumigation facility in …

U.S. Steel Agrees to Spend Millions to Settle Suit Over Pollution Violations After 2018 Fire

U.S. Steel has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the Pittsburgh-based company of violating federal clean air laws by operating plants without its desulfurization controls for more than three months, emitting clouds of sulfurous gas into surrounding towns. The …

Connecticut Sues 28 Firms for Alleged Contamination by ‘Forever Chemicals’

The state of Connecticut is suing 28 chemical manufacturers that it alleges are responsible for “knowingly contaminating” the state’s waters and natural resources and harming public health with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has filed two …

Mississippi Businesses, Cities Sue to Protect Dolphins From Louisiana Spillway

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Opening a spillway as a flood-control measure in 2019 sent polluted fresh water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and killed bottlenose dolphins that live in saltwater, according to a new lawsuit. Several …