CERCLA Plaintiff’s Failure to Establish Past Costs Liability Precluded Declaratory Judgment as to Future Costs Liability
In a case of first impression, the Ninth Circuit ruled on August 2, 2010, that a plaintiff’s failure to establish defendants' liability for plaintiff's past costs,... Read more.
New Nanotechnology Development Guidance
The Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance ("OTA") has recently posted its Guidance Document "Nanotechnology - Considerations for Safe Development."... Read more.
EPA Proposes To Extend SPCC Compliance Date
On August 3, 2010, EPA published notice proposing to extend the compliance date for certain facilities subject to the Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures... Read more.
Owner During Cleanup is the “Current Owner” for Purposes of CERCLA, 9th Circuit Says
By Rachel Loftspring On July 22, 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, on a question of first impression, considered which of two potentially responsible... Read more.
Limits to CERCLA’S Owner/Operator Liability
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington has ruled that a party cannot be liable under CERCLA as an "owner/operator" for the remediation... Read more.
Mine Safety & OSHA Reform Bill Approved by House Committee
On July 21, 2010, the Education and Labor Committee for the House of Representatives voted 30-17 to send to the full House the Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health... Read more.
Trafigura Fined $1.3M Over International Toxic Waste Dumping
The Dutch Supreme Court fined Trafigura Beheer, one of the world's largest companies trading commodities, $1.3M for delivering hazardous waste to Amsterdam while... Read more.
NRDC Report Says Climate Change Will Cause U.S. Water Shortages
The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has joined other environmental organizations, government authorities and industry groups in confirming that climate... Read more.
U.S. Issues New Deepwater Drilling Suspension
On July 12, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar, issued a decision memorandum directing a new suspension of certain offshore drilling and permitting... Read more.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Investigating Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Blowout
By Gabrielle Sigel On June 25, 2010, Congress confirmed the appointments to the two last vacant positions on the U.S. Chemical Safety Board ("CSB"):... Read more.