Environmental Building Issues Following Hurricane Sandy

Mold, oil spills, vapor intrusion /

NY Building owners are grappling with a number of environmental issues associated with Hurricane Sandy. Following is a summary of the more common issues and regulatory initiatives announced by NYC Department of Buildings and the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to expediate cleanup and recovery efforts. Commercial and Residential Buildings With Flooded Basements/Parking Garages […]

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Why the Fuss About VI When We Have Such a Radon Gas Problem?

vapor intrusion /

Ten years ago this month EPA issued is draft Vapor Intrusion Guidance that altered the approach to site remediation. The guidance was issued following a couple of high profile sites where relatively low concentrations of volatile organic compounds in groundwater had apparently impacted indoor air in a large number of residences. These cases suggested the

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Consultant Unable To Escape NJ Contaminated Fill Case

CERCLA, consultant malpractice, NJ Spill Act /

We have previously reported on how disposal of fill material tends not to be well-regulated. During the real estate bubble demand for aggregate was at a premium. Due to the scarcity and cost of aggregate or fill material, contractors often use pulverized construction debris from other construction sites as fill material. Despite the fact that

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Trio of NJ Cases Are Cautionary Tales For Home Heating Oil Tanks

NJ Spill Act, Underground Storage Tanks /

We have previously discussed the risks posed by residential heating oil tanks in a number of posts covering cases in New York , New Jersey , Oregon, Washington, Mass and Canada. Three recent cases in New Jerseyall involve claims of inadequate disclosure of heating oil illustrate. In Dalton v Shanna Lynn Corp., 2012 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 874 (App. Div. 4/19/12)

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PA Bank Agrees to Reimburse EPA For Removal Costs at Owned Property

CERCLA, Lender Liability /

We have previously discussed how banks can find themselves saddled with environmental liability from bank-owned properties they have acquired when they purchase assets of other banks. See Acquisitions Bring CERCLA Liability to Banks The latest example is In the Matter of Hamburg Mills Creek Superfund Site, Docket No. CERC-03-2013-004 where Wells Fargo agreed to reimburse

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Ohio Bank to Partially Reimburse EPA For Removal Costs Related To Defunct Borrower Facility

CERCLA, Hazardous Waste, Lender Liability /

An Ohio bank agreed to pay the United States EPA $8K in past response costs incurred by EPA to remove hazardous waste drums at a facility that had been owned by a defunct borrower. The amount the bank agreed to pay represented approximately 10% of the EPA’s response costs. The notice of the proposed Agreement

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Ct Rejects Stigma Claims in BP Oil Spill Litigation

oil spills /

While the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill fades from memory, the federal district court assigned to resolve the hundreds of cases arising from the explosion, fire, and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon  mobile offshore drilling unit (“MODU”) has been busy issuing orders. These opinions have addressed complex questions of law involving the interplay of the

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NY District Court Misconstrues CERCLA “Facility” Definition

CERCLA /

In the 1980s and 1990s, judges usually began CERCLA cases discussing that CERCLA was a remedial statute that Congress intended to be broadly construed. Judges seemed afraid of the problem of toxic wastes and often uncritically accepted government arguments that cast a wide liability net that caught a wide range of defendants. Even in private

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Trustee Bank Agrees to Removal Action Settlement with EPA

CERCLA, Hazardous Waste, Lender Liability /

JP Morgan Chase Bank entered into a Settlement Agreement For Recovery of Past Response Costs (Settlement Agreement)  for a matter captioned In In The Matter Of Browning Lumber Company Superfund Site, Docket No. CERC-03-2007-0028D where the bank agreed to reimburse EPA for $1.28 million in removal costs incurred at a former wood processing facility rural Bald Knob,

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Bank Enters Into Settlement With EPA For Contaminated NY Site

CERCLA, Lender Liability /

EPA entered into a settlement agreement with the Bank of India (Bank) as part of an innovative settlement to facilitate the sale and reuse of an abandoned facility in Cortland, NY. The settlement was published in the today’s Federal Register .The proposed settlement is subject to a 30-day comment period. The settlement involves the Buckbee-Mears

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