UNABLE TO FUND EXIDE CLEANUP, STATE WANTS CONTAMINATED VERNON SITE ADDED TO FEDERAL SUPERFUND LIST

www.LATimes.com

The federal government has been formally asked by the state of California to add the former site of Exide Technologies to the National Priorities List to make it eligible for additional clean-up funds. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control estimates lead, arsenic, and cadmium was released by the Vernon-based battery recycler during its decades of operation. These operations spread contaminants to parks, schools, and nearly 10,000 properties in the largely working-class Latino neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Maywood, Huntington Park and Commerce. The state has committed $700 million so far and have cleaned nearly 4,000 properties with another 2,000 properties expected to finish over the next two years.

THREE MICHIGAN BEACHES CLOSED DUE TO BACTERIA LEVELS, INCLUDING ONE IN MACOMB COUNTY

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Thursday, June 30, three Michigan beaches closed due to high bacteria levels and two other beaches are under advisory due to a contamination issue. The beaches closed include St. Clair Shores' Memorial Park Beach on Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Pinconning Park in Saginaw Bay, Clinch Park in Grand Traverse Bay. The two beaches under contamination advisory include Gladwin City Park in Cedar River and Taylor's Beach at Cook Lake in Livingston County.

NOVATO ARSON SUSPECT CAUSED $300K IN PROPERTY DAMAGE: COPS

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Novato, California, Police stated on June 27th that a series of commercial burglaries, arson, and vandalism incidents led to the arrest of Conn Michael Prescott over the weekend. The 61-year-old man of Emerald Lake Hills, California, was arrested on June 25th on suspicion of arson, vandalism, burglary, and other charges. He is being held on a $500,000 bail enhancement in the Marin County Jail after causing $300,000 in damages to the involved business.

BENNET, HICKENLOOPER URGE U.S. AIR FORCE TO ADDRESS 'FOREVER CHEMICALS' IN EL PASO COUNTY

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On June 24th, the U.S Air Force was urged by two Colorado senators to address PFAS in El Paso County water. In a letter, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper said is in the Widefield aquifer, which provides drinking water to thousands of residents and supplies surface water to area ponds, some of which Coloradans use for recreational fishing. They are asking the Air Force to expand on a pilot programs that remove PFAS from water. They also requested the Biden administration to partner with Colorado in taking additional steps to address PFAS from military activities.

PFAS in the Widefield aquifer south of Peterson Air Force Base affected some 80,000 people in the Security-Widefield-Fountain area. $50 million in funding for Air Force environmental restoration and remediation has been spent primarily on protecting drinking water for the affected communities since the discovery back in 2016. In Colorado, the Fountain-Widefield-Security area is one of the state’s biggest PFAS sites due to the long-term use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Peterson Air Force (now Space Force) Base beginning in the 1970s. Water and soil testing in 2016 by the Air Force revealed PFAS levels of 240,000 parts per trillion in soil samples and more than 88,000 parts per trillion in groundwater at seven locations on the base. The base is now a designated EPA Superfund site.

FOREST FIRE BURNS THOUSANDS OF ACRES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

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On June 20th, fire fighters responded to a fire in Washington Townships, New Jersey, as a forest fire had consumed 11,000 acres. No injuries or property damage has been reported. The fire broke out in a remote section of the Wharton State Forest and was discovered early Sunday afternoon, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The fire was 50% contained by June 21st and put out on June 22nd. The cause of the fire is still unknown and produced dense smoke, was spanning areas of Washington, Shamong, Hammonton and Mullica Township.

OFFSHORE WIND, CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION AND PLASTICS BAGS: ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION ROUNDUP

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On June 21st, a bill was moved closer to enacting the purchase of more offshore wind energy, capping concentrations of PFAS in drinking water, prohibiting food packaging that contains PFAS, and banning the distribution of single-use plastic in Providence, Rhode Island. The house leadership also announced that they have put an end to the plastic processing plants due to the risks they pose on public health, their energy intensive process, and because they do nothing to curb the demand for single use plastics.

ENVIRONMENTAL, PUBLIC HEALTH GROUPS TO SENATE: ACT ON TOXIC PFAS IN DRINKING WATER

Tataandhoward.com

A letter was delivered on June 22nd, to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee from 82 organizations, including Environment America and U.S. PIRG, regarding comprehensive federal legislation to protect Americans’ drinking water from contamination by the class of chemicals known as PFAS. The 82 organizations from 30 different states are calling for the EPW committee to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance. This would prohibit the use of PFAS in firefighting foam and direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue drinking water standards and stop the dumping of PFAS into our nation’s waterways. It is estimated that from Alabama to Alaska, more than 200 million Americans’ drinking water may be contaminated with PFAS.

CRISTIANO RONALDO ‘OFFERS TO PAY FOR HOME DAMAGE CAUSED BY £1.7M BUGATTI CRASH

wwnews.CryptoMatters.net

An unnamed homeowner of Majorcan, Spain, has stated that he has been promised compensation after the Manchester United Legend's rented his mansion on June 21st. The homeowner feared for his dog's life as a $1.7 million Bugatti crashed into the property on June 20th. Police have confirmed an employee of Ronaldo’s, thought to have been one of his bodyguards, was driving the sports car when it came off the road and smashed into a stone wall protecting the house.

EPA PLEDGES $23 MILLION TOWARD CLEANUP AT STRATFORD’S RAYMARK SUPERFUND SITE

Brian A. Pounds / Brian A. Pounds

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pledged roughly $30 million on June 2nd toward environmental remediation efforts at former industrial sites in Connecticut. These sites will include the ongoing clean-up of asbestos, lead, and other toxic contaminants at dumping grounds once used by local auto-parts manufacturer Raymark Industries. This federal investment is part of an overall plan to spend $5.4 billion over the next 7 years cleaning up brownsfields and Superfund sites as part of Congress’ Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill.

$23 million, the largest amount of money given by the EPA, was dedicated to the 34-acre site of the former Raymark plant in Stratford, referred to as “one of the most complex” remediation projects under the agency’s Superfund program. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the EPA have helped manage the cleanup efforts for three decades after the plant was closed in 1989.

EPA INVESTIGATES POLLUTION AT OLD OIL REFINERY IN EAST CHICAGO

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that the site of the old Cities Service Refinery in East Chicago, Illinois, is not affecting the residents next door, but residents are unsure of these claims. The EPA claims to have found groundwater in the center of the site that tested at high-levels for fuel chemicals. The EPA project manager, claimed the agency started testing the groundwater from the property line of the site and worked its way in to ensure the chemicals weren't reaching residents.

Maitza Lopez lives in the Calumet, Illinois, a nearby neighborhood claimed that the EPA should have tested at residential properties as well. Lopez claims that she, along with their residents, will find shiny, black, substances seeping into her basement and toilet. Lopez stated that local residents should have been notified of the testing at the old refinery. The EPA said it will keep monitoring the groundwater at the facility while it looks into what sort of cleanup should be done on the site, if any.

FLOODING POSES WELL WATER RISKS IN BLANDERSVILLE, ILLINOIS

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This year's record-setting rainfall in the Midwest has damaged several homes and businesses. Residents of Blandinsville, Illinois, did not have safe drinking water for nearly two months. Waters in the wells turned muddy brown during the storm. When the sediment cleared, waters were still testing for bacteria such as E.coli. Though estimates vary, roughly 53 million U.S. residents, about 17% of the population, rely on private wells, according to a study conducted in part by Environmental Protection Agency researchers.

DAMAGE ESTIMATES CLIMB FROM MASSIVE NEW MEXICO WILDFIRE

www.NYTimes.com

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico commented on Albuquerque’s largest burning fire. The fire has burned 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range, the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. Several hundred homes are estimated to be destroyed. Elected officials have called for the federal government to cover 100% of recovery costs.

EIGHT DEAD AND SERIOUS DAMAGE AFTER MUDSLIDE IN CHINA

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On May 28th, in Beijing, China, a mudslide claimed 8 lives. The local government has indicated that five of the bodies were found inside of a factory while the other three were in a residential buildings. The incident took place after several hours of downpours, the landslide completely covered both buildings. The authorities also relocated at least 11,300 people affected by the incident. China has spent US$74 million a week to support natural disaster response during the current rainy season.

MARSHFIELD AND ADAMS, WISCONSIN, SHUT DOWN WELLS DUE TO PFAS POLLUTION

John McCracken / The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Marshfield and Adams have shut down municipal wells due to PFAS contamination, along with other Wisconsin cities. The state Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday, May 25th, that sampling in the two cities had detected PFAS high enough to concern state health officials. Marshfield, Wisconsin, shut down four of 15 and Adams, Wisconsin, shut down one of two wells with elevated PFAS levels after receiving results.

HEAVY FLOODS DAMAGE CROPS, CUT OFF COMMUNITIES IN SURINAME, PUERTO RICO

WWTI.com

Vast flooding in Suriname, San Juan, Puerto Rico, has damaged crops, closed schools and businesses, and isolated certain communities. The rains that caused the flooding centralized over the central and southern regions of South America. Water purification infrastructures, Farms and electricity are all under water according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Suriname’s southern region is only accessible by aircraft or boat for now.

PFAS MANUFACTURERES SUED

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Attorney General Maura Healey filed a lawsuit against multiple PFAS manufacturers, claiming that they deceptively marketed and sold dangerous chemicals. The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in South Carolina, where it will be joined with a host of other lawsuits before a single federal judge. 

The lawsuit alleges that the manufacturers knowingly deceived buyers about the risks of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. “These toxic and persistent ‘forever chemicals’ are contaminating countless water supplies and requiring massive efforts and expenditures of funds to investigate, treat, and remediate the contamination of the Commonwealth’s natural resources,” according to the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit requests an unspecified amount of money to clean up, restore, and treat the PFAS contamination as well as reimburse the state for damages. Furthermore, the lawsuit seeks to hold these manufacturers responsible for remediating and monitoring water supplies, rivers, and soil in the state.

COVID-RELATED BUSINESS LOSS IS NOT ‘PROPERTY DAMAGE,’ MD. APPEALS COURT SAYS

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Maryland’s second-highest court ruled Tuesday, May 24th, that an insurance policy’s standard coverage for lost business due to property damage does not apply to a restaurant’s loss of revenue when Gov. Larry Hogan ordered eateries closed to in-house dining in 2020 in an attempt to halt the spread of COVID-19. Dozens of other state and federal courts have uniformly ruled the provision of property damage policies do not cover pandemic-related revenue loss.

MORE THAN 150,000 STILL WITHOUT POWER AFTER DESTRUCTIVE ONTARIO STORM

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS

On May 22nd, a storm caused property damage in Ontario, Canada, leaving several residents without power. Powerful winds broke limbs off trees and sent them through windows of nearby properties and cars. Uxbridge, along with the communities of Clarence-Rockland and the Township of Greater Madawaska, east and west of Ottawa, declared states of emergencies after the storm. At least 10 people in Ontario and Quebec died as a result of the severe weather on Saturday. Provincial provider Hydro One said on May 24th that more than 142,000 customers were still without power, while Hydro Ottawa said it had 74,000 customers without service around midday.

A DAMAGED CUBAN CHURCH SITS ON TOP-QUALITY TOURISM REAL ESTATE

Ramon Espinosa / AP Images

On May 6th, an explosion in Havana, Cuba killed approximately 45 people and damaged multiple buildings including a Calvary Baptist Church. The Cuban government controls gas utilities, and the military owns the hotel, where the explosion occurred. The Calvary Baptist Church is a historic religious building that sits at the center of Cuba’s tourism industry, on Old Havana real estate. The building is considered part of Cuba’s national heritage. This means that any modifications must be approved by the government, and the exterior façade must be maintained.

VINEYARD DEVELOPER FACES FINE FOR ALLEGED ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

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Hugh Reimers and Krasilsa Pacific Farms are facing a $3.75 million state fine for allegedly removing trees and destroying a small wetland on land east of Cloverdale, California. On May 9th, a complaint filed by the Water Board accused Reimers and Krasilsa Pacific Farms of also failing to abide by a 2019 cleanup and abatement order, which required them to restore the streams and wetlands. The Water Board will hold a public hearing in the first week of August on whether to approve the proposed fine.