ExxonMobil estimates that it accidentally released 28,700 pounds of naphtha at its Baton Rouge site June 14. Naptha contains the hazardous chemical benzene, a carcinogen recognized by the EPA. When ExxonMobil first reported the release to the state Department of Environmental Quality last week, it only reported a 10-pound spill.…
Three bills addressing lead contamination in schools, day care centers and playgrounds passed in the Louisiana Legislature last week. Upon the governor’s signature, Senate Bills 200, 201 and 211 will require new schools, day care centers and playgrounds to be inspected for lead contamination. The inspection results will then be…
Four FEMA contractors agreed to pay $5 million to gulf coast victims in a class action settlement last week. The settlement stems from pooled claims alleging gulf coast residents’ exposure to increased levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Formaldehyde is a chemical that is a…
Louisiana lawmakers stalled a controversial bill this session that would have provided heightened protection to whistleblowers in the state. House Bill 364, authored by Rep. Walt Leger of New Orleans, purports to broadly prohibit employers in the state from taking any retaliatory action against an employee who blows the whistle…
This month, a fire and explosion at the Westlake Chemical Corp. Complex in Geismar resulted in an estimated 15 compounds being released over the Mississippi River in Ascension Parish. Only a few of those compounds, including hydrochloric acid, chlorine, vinyl chloride monomer exceeded the one-hour permit level set by the…
BP recently reached an estimated $7.8 billion settlement with private individual and business plaintiffs this month. Out of the settlement, the parties agreed to allocate $2.3 billion to claimants from the seafood industry. However this settlement is uncapped and only reflects BP’s estimate of the damages. A court will actively…
Two barges collided in the Mississippi River near St. John the Baptist Parish this month, spilling an estimated 10,000 gallons of crude oil into the Mississippi River. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the accident remains unclear. This accident shows the relationship between maritime law and environmental safety.…
This week Bank of America agreed to pay $335 million to people across the United States to settle claims of consumer discrimination. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Illinois Attorney General sued Bank of America, alleging that the bank’s recently acquired Countrywide Financial Unit offered mortgages to black consumers…
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently reported its annual winnings for victims of workplace discrimination for the 2011 Fiscal Year. This year, the EEOC recovered a record $365 million for victims of workplace bias through administrative enforcement. The EEOC also recovered an additional $91 million dollars for victims…
A federal court judge recently ruled that the Mississippi attorney general’s lawsuit against the Gulf Oil Spill Fund’s administrator must be heard in state court. The judge ordered the case to be heard in state court because the lawsuit was brought under Mississippi’s consumer protection laws. In his claim, Mississippi’s…