A district court held that under a 1997 consent decree resolving CWA, RCRA, and state-law violations at a steel mill, the current owner is not liable for remediating any discharges that occurred prior to its purchase of the mill out of the previous owner's bankruptcy, but that it must conduct a site...

The First Circuit affirmed a lower court decision holding a manufacturing company liable under CERCLA for response costs EPA incurred at the Fletcher's Paint Works and Storage Facility Superfund site in Milford, New Hampshire. The lower court properly ruled that the company was liable as a...

The Seventh Circuit held that automobile owners should not be held liable under CERCLA for costs incurred responding to automobile accidents. The case was brought by the billing agent of a fire department that sought response costs from individuals who were involved in motor vehicle accidents an...

A district court dismissed a property owner's CERCLA claim for costs incurred responding to PCB contamination allegedly caused by an oil recycling company. The owner alleged that the company spilled PCBs on the site. But the $800,000 in costs purportedly incurred are not related to the alleged r...

A district court dismissed a property owner's RCRA claim against an oil company for benzene contamination present in the basement of one of his buildings. The evidence fails to establish that there may be an imminent and substantial danger to human health or the environment. The owner does not u...

A district court dismissed a property owner's contribution action against a railroad company for failure to state a claim. The property owner failed to allege any facts that explain why the company is liable for a portion of the site cleanup. It failed to explain how the company came to be invol...

The Second Circuit held that a lower court should have granted a chemical manufacturer's request for declaratory judgment against adjoining property owners under CERCLA for future costs it will incur cleaning up industrial pollution. The manufacturer sued the two adjoining property owners for c...

A district court held that the state of Washington is not liable as an arranger under CERCLA for hazardous waste contamination stemming from mining operations on state lands. The state entered into mining contracts with a Canadian mining company that allowed the company to excavate and remove metal-...

A district court held that an insurance company should have provided coverage to a demolition company for damages stemming from its disposal of contaminated waste at a recycling drop-off center. The insurance policy excludes coverage for damages arising from the final disposal of any material at a s...

A district court dismissed property owners' CERCLA, tort, and state-law claims against a power company for alleged PCB contamination. A former employee of the company lived at the property before it was sold to the current owners. While working for the company, the employee removed PCB-containing ca...