Environmental Protection Agency News

New Hampshire Sues 3M, DuPont, Other Chemical Companies

New Hampshire has sued eight companies including 3M and the DuPont Co. for damage it says has been caused by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and drinking water. The substances – known collectively …

Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill

The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks of the disaster …

Chemical Plant Fires Renew Safety Debate in Oil-Friendly Texas

Two major chemical plant fires near Houston just 17 days apart closed schools, leaked toxic chemicals into coastal waters and killed a worker, but there’s a good chance they won’t lead to big industry crackdowns in oil-friendly Texas. Federal investigators …

U.S. Investigators to Begin Search for Cause of Texas Petrochemical Disaster

U.S. investigators hope this week for the first time to enter the site of a massive fuel fire and chemical spill outside Houston to begin the hunt for a cause and to determine whether the operator followed safety regulations. The …

Houston-Area Chemical Disaster Zone Remains No-Go Zone 2 Weeks After Blaze

Two weeks after a chemical storage complex near Houston erupted in flames and menaced tens of thousands of people with dangerous fumes, the site remains too hazardous for investigators to approach. Intercontinental Terminal Co. is still trying to drain millions …

Storage Tank Owner Sued by State, County Over Texas Petrochemical Fire

Texas officials on Tuesday sued owners of a Houston area petrochemical storage facility over a fire last week, alleging violations of environmental laws and seeking damages to cover response costs for the disaster that burned for days, releasing chemicals into …

Hundreds File Claims Against Company in Wake of Texas Petrochemical Fire

A Houston-area petrochemical storage company that was heavily damaged by fire has received hundreds of compensation claims from residents seeking lost wages and other damages, a company executive said. Brent Weber, a senior vice president for Intercontinental Terminals Company, told …

Environmental, Economic Damage a Concern Following Texas Petrochemical Fire

Businesses and residents expressed concern on March 25 about the environmental and economic fallout from a fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage farm that sent huge plumes into the air for days and prompted the partial closure of one of …

Shipping Resumes in Houston Channel Closed After Chemical Tank Fire

The U.S. Gulf Coast’s most important industrial waterway partially reopened on Monday after it was polluted with cancer-causing benzene and toxic runoff from the region’s worst chemical disaster in more than a decade. A two-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the Houston …

Bills on Tap at Massachusetts Statehouse Target Lead in School Water

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are pushing legislation aimed at improving the safety of drinking water in schools in part by requiring schools and child care centers to test every drinking water outlet each year for elevated lead levels. Legislation on …