environmental liability News

Upstream Mine Tailings Dams Pose Higher Risks of Instability: Study

The most widespread type of dam used to store mine waste is nearly twice as unstable as the average tailings facility, a global study showed on Friday, highlighting the risk of so-called “upstream” construction techniques that some countries have banned. …

Brazilians Bring Lawsuit Against Norsk Hydro over Alleged Pollution

Some 40,000 Brazilians are bringing a group-action lawsuit in the Netherlands against Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro over alleged toxic waste pollution in northern Brazil. The lawsuit has been brought by a group of communities who live in the lower …

Russian Mining Giant Nornickel Fined $2 Billion for Huge Arctic Fuel Spill

MOSCOW – Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel was fined $2 billion on Friday for the damage caused by a huge fuel spill last year in the country’s worst environmental disaster in the Arctic. The leakage in May of 21,000 tonnes …

Vale Agrees to Pay Settlement of $7 Billion for Brazilian Mine Disaster in 2019

Vale SA reached a settlement agreement with Brazilian authorities for a dam collapse that killed 270 people and led to production cutbacks that stripped the company of the title of world’s biggest iron ore producer. The deal comes two years …

Brazilian Dam Claimants to Take BHP Class Action to English Court of Appeal

Lawyers for about 200,000 Brazilian claimants, whose multi-billion dollar lawsuit against Anglo-Australian miner BHP over a 2015 dam collapse was struck down last November, said on Tuesday they will petition the English Court of Appeal to review the case. “This …

Brazil Petrochemical Company Braskem Settles Lawsuits over Sinking City for $1.75B

BRASILIA – Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem SA said on Wednesday it reached a 9.1 billion reais ($1.75 billion) deal to settle lawsuits over cracks and sinking ground near its salt mines in the city of Maceio that requires thousands to …

Mining Giants BHP, Vale Accused of Colluding to Cut Payouts to Victims of Dam Collapse

Brazilian federal prosecutors have accused mining giants BHP and Vale of colluding with a lawyer to reduce compensation for victims of a fatal dam collapse and interfere with a landmark lawsuit against BHP in the UK. A mining waste dam …

Miner BHP Calls $6.3B English Lawsuit over Brazil Dam Collapse ‘Pointless and Wasteful’

Anglo-Australian miner BHP has dismissed as pointless and wasteful a 5 billion pound ($6.3 billion) English lawsuit by 200,000 Brazilian people and groups over the 2015 collapse of a dam that led to Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. Kicking off an …

Anglo-Australian Miner BHP Faces $6.3B Lawsuit in UK over 2015 Brazil Dam Disaster

More than 200,000 Brazilian people and groups will next week kick off a 5 billion-pound ($6.3 billion) lawsuit against Anglo-Australian miner BHP in Britain over a 2015 dam failure that led to Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. The group claim, one …

Mining Groups Should Be Required to Buy Insurance for Tailings Dams: Report

Mining companies should be required to buy private insurance for tailings dams and their board of directors should be held legally responsible for any disasters, a coalition of 140 environmental groups said in a report published on Tuesday. The recommendations, …