Natural Resource Damages & Environmental Justice
Environmental Agencies, Superfund Cleanups, and Managing Enforcement Actions
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
Volatile Times in Vapor Intrusion Regulation: A Legal and Technical Update
The Washington Department of Ecology’s recent amendments to the state contaminated site cleanup regulations under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) require screening to determine whether contaminated sites may affect...more
On July 23, in MPM Silicones, LLC v. Union Carbide Corp., No. 17-3468(L), 17-3669(XAP), slip op., -- F.3d -- (2d Cir. 2020), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the District Court’s dismissal of...more
In late 2019, the King County Superior Court issued a decision in Norlander v. Caldwell, Case No. 18-2-05702-7 SEA, which serves as a cautionary tale for plaintiffs seeking to recover remedial action costs under Washington’s...more
The Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) has been cleaning up contaminated sites in Washington State for 30 years. On December 10, 2019, Beveridge & Diamond and the Environmental Law Institute will be hosting a seminar (MTCA 30)...more
Pierce Atwood LLP offers this summary of Maine Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) standards as a convenience in evaluating PFAS and tracking Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulatory and Maine...more
The Superior Court of New Jersey – Appellate Division (“Appellate Court”) addressed in a June 10th opinion whether a rider to a real estate contract requiring the Seller to undertake certain environmental remediation was...more
Earlier this month, a federal district court issued a decision allocating cleanup costs at a contaminated site in Clark County, Washington. The opinion illustrates several challenges with fairly apportioning response costs...more
Is a purchaser of contaminated property on the hook for environmental cleanup costs that take place prior to the time the property was acquired? In Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection v. Trainer Custom Chemical,...more
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 9601, known as CERCLA or the Superfund law, was enacted in 1980 during the final days of the Carter administration. It was intended to...more
In a decision issued last month, the Washington Supreme Court narrowed “owner or operator” liability under the Model Toxics Control Act, RCW 70.105D (MTCA). In Pope Resources, LP v. Wash. Dept. of Natural Resources, the court...more
Asarco, LLC v. Atlantic Richfield Company, 866 F.3d 1108 (9th Cir. 2017). In a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) contribution case, the Ninth Circuit addressed three issues of...more
Seeking 80 percent of remedial costs from each of two potentially responsible parties and “inflexibility” in pre-litigation negotiations are sufficiently unreasonable to trigger attorneys’ fees under the Massachusetts cleanup...more
Under CERCLA activities to clean up hazardous substances are characterized as either “removal actions” or “remedial actions.” Generally, removal actions are interim actions to clean up or remove hazardous materials. 42...more
Governor Chris Christie recently signed into law A-4543/S-3075 (Spencer/Schepisi/Smith/Bateman), which extends the deadline for completing the remedial investigation of contaminated sites before the Department of...more
The Site Remediation Reform Act (“SRRA”) established a May 7, 2014 deadline for completing the remedial investigation for all sites that triggered remediation requirements prior to May 7, 1999. If a responsible party fails...more
After several years of formal and informal proposals, the Remedial Action Guidelines (RAGs) have finally been revised, and are now effective, thanks to action by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). ...more