Environment Legal News Articles & Interviews

Rexton, NB The last week of anti-fracking protests in New Brunswick has garnered support, strength and solidarity not only throughout Canada and the US but also from celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and the Idle No More movement.They are supporting The Elsipogtog Mi’kmaq First Nation and local residents who claim a Texas oil and gas company plans on fracking their land.

Washington, DC Many popular rice products including organic rice baby cereal, rice breakfast cereals, brown rice, and white rice contain varying levels of carcinogenic arsenic, according to the results of tests to be announced Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Consumer Reports.

Alton, IL (Press Release) The Simmons Firm, a national litigation firm known for handling complex toxic exposure cases, filed suit today on behalf of the Village of Roxana, IL, against Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, and WRB Refining LP. The Village alleges damages stemming from carcinogenic chemicals released from the Wood River Oil Refinery. Releases have contaminated the groundwater, land and air of Roxana. The case has been filed in conjunction with Roxana Village Attorney James Schrempf.

Washington, DC According to the fourth annual consumer guide to toxic substances in car interiors, produced by the Ecology Center, consumers remain at risk for exposure to bromine and other toxic chemicals that produce that "new car smell" despite the fact that overall, the use of these types of chemicals is being reduced by manufacturers. Among the worst offenders are Mitsubishi, Chrysler and KIA.

Billings, MT Residents near Laurel, Montana were temporarily evacuated Saturday morning after an ExxonMobile crude oil pipeline ruptured and caused an unknown amount of oil to spill into the waterway. The pipeline, which runs under the Yellowstone River near Billings in south-central Montana, apparently leaked for about 30 minutes.

Middleton, MA A chemical plant explosion in Middleton Sunday night has left four people injured, while shaking nearby homes, and raising environmental concerns specifically about the safety of local water and air contamination.

New York, NY Attorneys representing the plaintiffs who were injured while working in the rescue, recovery and debris removal activities at the site of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent collapse of the twin towers have confirmed today that they have surpassed the requisite ninety-five percent (95%) opt-in threshold required in their agreement with the City of New York and its Contractors. As a result, the Settlement is officially effectuated, as Settlement Allocated Claims Neutral Matthew Garrettson, Esq., announced earlier today.

Ottawa, ON The Canadian government has officially declared the plastic-making compound known as BPA – or bisphenol-A to be toxic, making it the first country in the world to do so.

Buffalo, NY People living in a Buffalo suburb had good reason to suspect they were being negatively affected by the Tonawanda Coke plant. "It has three big smoke stacks," says environmental law attorney Charles Cobb. "People who live around there sometimes talk about 'a bad day.' That's when the air is overwhelmed visually, combined with a noticeable smell from the plant."

New Orleans, LA An oil rig exploded this morning in the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 80 miles off the Louisiana coast in Vermillion Bay. All 13 people on board the rig were rescued from the water by a commercial vessel. The latest reports indicate that one of the rig workers was hospitalized with injuries. It is not currently known whether the rig is leaking oil.