We help insurance professionals find environmental risk examples to stay informed & protect customers
As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, we’re excited to offer access to this premier environmental news service for just $50 per month—a great value for staying updated on the latest trends, legislation, exposures and environmental risks that your client may face. Your subscription provides in-depth articles, industry insights, and the latest updates, ensuring you're always informed about what matters most to your clients. Please email us at info@environmentalobserver.com for information on how to get access.
When the Rules Go Away, the Liability Doesn't: EPA's Coal Ash Rollback and the Exposure Left Behind
April 15th, 2026
On April 9, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed sweeping amendments to the federal Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) regulations, the rules that govern how coal ash is stored, monitored, and cleaned up at power plant sites across the country. The proposal would rescind the CCR Management Unit (CCRMU) requirements that applied to older, inactive coal ash disposal areas, expand the definition of "beneficial reuse" of coal ash in construction applications, and create a site-specific permitting pathway that shifts monitoring and cleanup decisions from uniform federal standards to individual state permits. EPA framed the changes as "commonsense" reforms aligned with the administration's energy dominance agenda. Environmental and public health groups called it something else: a rollback engineered to let power companies avoid the...
The Spill That Won’t End: One Michigan Crash Dumped 26,000 Pounds of Plastic Into a River Within a Superfund Cleanup Site — and the Cleanup Bill Is Still Growing
March 26th, 2026
ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI — On the morning of January 27, 2026, a Quest Liner semi-trailer hauling 26,000 pounds of plastic pellets lost control on icy northbound Interstate 196 at exit 41, northeast of Saugatuck, and overturned. Within minutes, thousands of tiny white pellets — each no larger than a pencil eraser — were rolling across the pavement, down the...
Federal Climate Law Rescission: Key Implications for the Insurance Industry
March 24th, 2026
WASHINGTON D.C. - On February 12, 2026, the EPA formally rescinded the 2009 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding, the scientific and legal determination that enabled federal regulation of emissions under the Clean Air Act. While this action removes...
Washington Designated Microplastics a Federal Priority Contaminant. Third-Party Suits Won't Wait for the Rule to Follow.
April 8th, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C., On April 2, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services announced that microplastics and pharmaceuticals would be added to the EPA's Contaminant Candidate List under the Safe Drinking Water Act, marking the first time in the program's history that either category has appeared on the list....
Twice in Five Weeks: The NaturPak Explosions and the Regulatory Liability No Standard Policy Covers
March 20th, 2026
JANESVILLE, WI — On a Wednesday afternoon in March, emergency responders rushed to a food packaging facility on Innovation Drive for the second time in five weeks. Two more NaturPak...
Forever Chemicals Are in Missouri’s Tap Water. The Cleanup Bill Could Top $48 Billion — and Nobody Knows Who Pays.
March 30th, 2026
JEFFERSON CITY, MO — Newly released federal testing data confirm that at least six Missouri water systems are delivering tap water with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations above the legal limit — and that the reckoning for decades...