Energy & Utilities Law, Toxic Torts

Arkansas Oil Spill Not Deadly, Yet

by Yaeger, Jungbauer, & Barczak on 5/20/2013

Long-term effects of oil spills remain uncertain, with studies working to provide some answers to the exact health hazards such toxic accidents cause. The recent ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline spill in Arkansas may provide more...more

Superfund Liability for the Repair of a Useful Product

by Robert S. Sanoff | Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 5/14/2013

A few months ago, I blogged on the decision in Duke Energy Progress Inc. v. Alcan Aluminum Corporation where a court held that a company would not be held liable for selling used transformers to a recycling facility for...more

Is That Covered? Tanker Fire

by Michael R. Kelley | McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC on 5/13/2013

On May 9, 2013, a tanker truck carrying thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, overturned and caught on fire on a ramp near Interstate 81 and route 322 in Harrisburg....more

EPA Issues Long-Awaited Vapor Intrusion Guidance for Public Comment

by John Gregory | Farella Braun + Martel LLP on 4/23/2013

More than ten years after issuing draft guidance regarding the increasingly significant subject of vapor intrusion (VI), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just released for public comment drafts of two...more

BP Exec Defends Safety Record in Combative Trial Testimony

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/12/2013

An executive with oil giant BP steadfastly defended the company’s commitment to safety while testifying today in the civil trial over the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. BP’s Neil Shaw delivered testimony that grew...more

The BP Oil Trial Continues

by Viles & Beckman, LLC on 4/10/2013

The trial continues between BP Oil and its business partners and vendors, culprits in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico that resulted in the most catastrophic offshore oil spill in our nation’s history....more

Exec Insists Safety Came First Before BP Oil Spill

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/10/2013

An executive for oil giant BP testified today that he personally worked to improve the company’s safety culture in the years leading up to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of...more

BP’s First Defense Witness Gives Contradictory Testimony

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/9/2013

Oil giant BP launched its defense today in the civil trial over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, calling to the stand an offshore drilling expert who testified that BP adhered to industry standards throughout the...more

BP Could Have Stopped Gulf Oil Spill on Day 2, Says Expert

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/4/2013

Oil giant BP could have stopped the massive 2010 oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico just two days after the blowout aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, an expert witness testified today in the civil trial over the spill....more

Halliburton Engineer Defends Failed Cement Blend in Doomed Well

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/3/2013

An engineer for Halliburton testified today that he wouldn’t change a thing about the cement blend he recommended for oil giant BP’s Macondo well, site of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion....more

Oklahoma Court Addresses Time Element Pollution Exclusion

by Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP on 3/29/2013

In its recent decision in Colony Insurance Company v. Bear Products, Inc., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43716 (E.D. Okl. Mar. 26, 2013), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma had occasion to consider...more

BP Warned of Subpar Cement Plan Before Deepwater Horizon Blast

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/28/2013

BP officials overseeing the Deepwater Horizon oil rig were warned that their cement pumping plan could result in an improperly sealed well, but they moved ahead with the job anyway, a witness testified today in the civil...more

Transocean Exec Says Deepwater Horizon Was in ‘Good Condition’

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/27/2013

An executive for the owner of the doomed Deepwater Horizon oil rig testified today that though the rig was “not flawless” when it experienced a blowout and explosion that killed 11 workers, “overall it was in really good...more

BP, Alabama to File for Sanctions Against Halliburton

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/22/2013

Lawyers for oil giant BP and the state of Alabama told a federal judge today that they intend to file for sanctions against Halliburton for its handling of cement samples in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig...more

Judge Dismisses Some Claims, But BP Trial Goes On

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/21/2013

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier dismissed claims today against the contractor that supplied oil giant BP with drilling fluid, but denied most other dismissal requests from defendants in the civil trial over the Deepwater...more

Insurers Should Re-Examine Additional Insured Liability Coverage Wording in Light of BP Oil Spill Decision

by David Attisani, Mark Cahill, Rob Kole, John Nadas, Hugh Scott | Choate Hall & Stewart LLP on 3/20/2013

What you need to know: The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the insurance policy, rather than the indemnity provision of an underlying service contract, determined whether BP was an additional insured for...more

Businesses Most Affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

by Perry Draper Law on 3/20/2013

So far, more than $9.5 billion has been paid out to compensate Gulf Coast residents and businesses for the losses suffered from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. With the claims process reopened and a new settlement...more

Judge Shoots Down BP’s Request to Drop Gross Negligence Charge

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/19/2013

As soon as plaintiffs’ attorneys in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill trial called their last witness, an attorney for BP asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to dismiss charges that the oil giant committed “gross...more

Expert Testifies Deepwater Horizon ‘Not Seaworthy’

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/15/2013

Wrapping up the third week of testimony in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill trial, marine engineering expert Edward Geoffrey Webster testified that the rig was out of compliance with international and federal safety...more

Deepwater Horizon Worker Missed Critical Blowout Warning

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/14/2013

A Halliburton employee who survived the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion testified today that he failed to act upon signals that the Macondo well was unstable, but doesn’t believe he did anything wrong....more

Halliburton Cement in Doomed Oil Well Failed Stability Tests

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/13/2013

An executive with oil services contractor Halliburton testified today that it would have required “perfect conditions” for his company’s cement formula to have properly set in the Macondo oil well, site of the 2010 Deepwater...more

Catches Down & Prices Up Two Years After BP Oil Spill

by Perry Draper Law on 3/13/2013

There are always fluctuations in catches, often exaggerated by fishers as they exchange tall tales. Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Louisiana crab and shrimpers are complaining about dire drops in yields. But...more

Halliburton Accused of Destroying Evidence in Oil Spill Trial

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/12/2013

A Halliburton executive was questioned today over allegations that his company destroyed evidence related to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion of 2010, but insisted he was not personally involved in any coverup....more

Expert Witnesses Harpoon BP, Transocean, Halliburton

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/7/2013

Two expert witnesses testified today in the civil trial against oil company BP and its contractors, Transocean and Halliburton, listing the critical errors they say contributed to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig...more

Indirect Costs of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill May Be Reimbursed

by Perry Draper Law on 3/7/2013

Lost business, lost profits — these are easily the most recognizable losses eligible for compensation from the BP settlement funds. However, under a new claims administrator and a new claims process, there are additional...more

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Energy & Utilities Law › Toxic Torts