Archive for 'Environmental Litigation' Category

EPA Develops Plan to Study Hydraulic Fracturing Process

The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) has announced the submission of its draft study plan on hydraulic Fracturing for review by a panel of independent scientists. After announcing its intention to study the hydraulic fracturing process in March 2010 and conducting a series of public meetings across the country last July, August and September, the EPA [...]

Recent Gas Explosions Raise Questions of U.S. Pipeline Safety

A series of natural gas explosions has raised questions about the safety of the nation’s aging pipeline system. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has scheduled a hearing March 1-3 concerning results of an investigation into a San Bruno, CA pipeline explosion caused by a faulty pipe and will discuss concerns about the pipeline infrastructure [...]

Thousands of Gallons of Fracking Fluids Spill at Natural Gas Well on PA State Forest Land

A mechanical failure during hydraulic fracturing operations on a natural gas well in Pennsylvania’s Tioga County caused a blow out of the well and a spill of about 21,000 gallons of fracking fluid. Hydraulic fracturing is a process used to increase the output of oil and gas wells by forcing thousands of gallons of a [...]

Poor Welds Found in Gas Pipe Explosion that Killed 8 People, Injured 50, Destroyed 37 Homes

A government investigation into a gas pipe explosion last September that caused the death of eight people and destroyed 37 homes in a California neighborhood has found weld defects in pipeline recovered from the site. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a report on the September 9, 2010 incident in which a 30-inch [...]

Propane Recall, Lack of Odor May Lead to Fire, Explosion or Burns

A processor of propane gas, also known as liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, has issued a recall of its propane sold in portable tanks and propane delivered to storage tanks because the company failed to add a sufficient amount of an odorant intended to alert consumers of a gas leak. Failure to detect leaking gas can [...]

Philly Gas Explosion Kills 1 and Injures 5

The explosion of a gas main in a Philadelphia suburb has left one person dead and five others injured. After reports of a gas smell in the Tacony neighborhood in Northeast Philly just before 7:30pm Tuesday, employees from the Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) and the Philadelphia Fire Department responded to the scene and discovered a [...]

Cruise Ship Increases Disinfection Efforts after Outbreak of Intestinal Illness

A cruise ship returned to port on Saturday with more than 150 sick passengers, prompting enhanced sanitation efforts aboard ship. Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas returned to its home port of Tampa, FL on today after a five-night voyage to ports in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico with 150 of its 2336 passengers suffering [...]

There is a Cancer Causing Toxin in the Tap Water of Millions of Americans

Across the United States, millions of Americans are drinking tap water contaminated with chromium-6, a pollutant known to cause cancer. A report scheduled for release on Monday by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows that tap water in 31 out of 35 cities tested by the EWG contained the contaminant chromium-6, also called hexavalent chromium [...]

PA DEP Takes Aggressive Action and Fines $240,000 after Cabot Fails to Fix Gas Migration into Ground Water and Wells

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., of Houston, TX, faces severe penalties from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after the company failed to correct problems regarding Susquehanna County water supplies polluted by migrating gas from Cabot’s natural gas drilling operations. “Gas migration is a serious issue that can have dire consequences to affected communities [...]

Cabot Pays $120,000 for Environmental Violations in PA as New Yorkers Debate Gas Drilling Regulations

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. have executed a consent order and agreement regarding Susquehanna County water supplies polluted by migrating gas from Cabot’s natural gas drilling operations. The Pennsylvania DEP began an investigation early this year when numerous residents of the Dimock Township area reported evidence of [...]