environmental liability News

New Jersey Sues 8 Pollution Sites to Force Cleanups

New Jersey announced eight new lawsuits and other action against what it says are companies and individuals who’ve failed to clean up pollutants at sites across the state, the attorney general and top environmental official said Thursday. The suits are …

Justice Dept Sues Norfolk Southern Over Ohio Train Derailment

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit late Thursday against Norfolk Southern Corp. to ensure that the company pays the full cost of cleanup and any long-term effects of the derailment in Ohio of one of its freight trains in …

BHP Group Seeks to Delay $44B Brazil Dam Court Case in London

Mining group BHP Group is seeking to delay a potential 36 billion pound ($44 billion) London lawsuit over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster as it needs more time to prepare, the company’s lawyers said on Wednesday. The world’s biggest miner by …

New Hampshire Court Nixes Medical Monitoring Part of PFOA Class Action

In a case involving a class action brought by New Hampshire citizens against a Merrimack plastics plant over its release of toxic chemicals into the air and groundwater, the state’s high court has found that medical monitoring is neither a …

Brazil Miner Vale to Pay $56M to Settle SEC Charges Related to Dam Safety Disclosures

Brazilian mining firm Vale SA agreed to pay $55.9 million to settle charges related to allegedly false and misleading disclosures about the safety of its dams prior to a 2019 dam collapse in Brazil that killed 270 people, the U.S. …

Health Officials See No Sign of Contamination in Philadelphia’s Water After Spill

Philadelphia water officials say they are monitoring water quality closely and have seen no sign of contamination following a chemical spill into the Delaware River in a neighboring county. Bucks County health officials said Sunday that a leak late Friday …

Supreme Court Lets Chevron Foe Donziger’s Contempt Conviction Stand

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a disbarred environmental lawyer’s challenge to his criminal contempt conviction after he earlier won but was unable to collect a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron Corp. over oil pollution in Ecuadorian …

Toxic Spills at Alberta’s Oil Sands Spur Canada to Boost Regulatory Oversight

Canada’s federal government is stepping up environmental oversight in Alberta’s oil sands after Imperial Oil Ltd. and the provincial regulator were slow to report toxic spills. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has proposed a joint federal-provincial-Indigenous working group with the involvement …

Miner BHP Potentially Faces $44B Lawsuit in London Over Brazil Dam Collapse

Mining group BHP Group is potentially facing a 36 billion pound ($44 billion) lawsuit in London over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster after the number of claimants more than tripled to 700,000, their lawyers said on Wednesday. BHP was initially sued …

Green Groups Sue Biden Admin Over Approval of Alaska Willow Oil Project

Six environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over the Biden administration’s approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, which they claimed could be a stepping stone to more development in an ecologically sensitive region. Trustees for …