The court rules that the final environmental impact report that resulted in issuance of a conditional use permit for the construction and operation of a hazardous waste incinerator at the Kettleman Hills site in Kings County, California, was inadequate as an informational document under the Californ...
The court holds that a tank truck company is not entitled to summary judgment on claims against its insurers for indemnification of costs resulting from a government action against it under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) with respect to soil and gr...
Applying Michigan law to an insurance dispute, the court adopts the doctrines of known-risk and loss-in-progress, and denies coverage because the insured's environmental director knew or reasonably should have known of a substantial probability of a loss caused by groundwater contamination at the si...
The court holds that the presence of hazardous waste on industrial property that a company sold to an individual does not breach any express or implied warranties. The court first finds that the purchase and sale agreement contains no express warranties as to the condition of the property, and a rid...
The court holds that the discretionary function exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) bars an insurer's claim that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials acted tortiously in ordering the insurer to clean up a site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, ...
The court refuses to preliminarily enjoin the U.S. Department of the Army from beginning incineration tests of chemical warfare agents at its disposal facility in Tooele, Utah. The court first holds that the asserted risks of harm due to dioxin exposure and accidental agent releases are too speculat...
Present BECKER, STAPLETON, MANSMANN, SCIRICA, COWEN, NYGAARD, ALITO, ROTH, LEWIS, McKEE and SAROKIN, Circuit Judges.
The court holds that under New Jersey law, a chemical transporter is entitled to indemnification from its excess liability insurers for costs it incurred in accordance with a Compreh...
The court holds that a former owner of petroleum-contaminated property is not liable to the current owner on state-law claims of fraud and strict liability for the alleged expense of removing leaking underground storage tanks from the site. The court first holds that to succeed on its fraud claim, t...
The court holds that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) acted within the scope of its discretion in issuing a regulation that established a rebuttable presumption that loose closures on railroad tank cars transporting hazardous materials result from the shipper's failure to conduct a proper...
The Court of Federal Claims awarded $84 million to four oil companies for costs they incurred cleaning up waste stemming from the production of aviation gasoline during World War II under contracts with the U.S. government. The government argued that the oil companies are not entitled to recover all...