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The "Pollution Exclusion" Battleground: Why Your General Liability Policy is Failing the Test
February 24th, 2026
For decades, business owners have relied on a comforting, if misplaced, assumption: "If I’m following the law and my permits, my insurance will protect me." Recent landmark decisions from the Supreme Courts of Illinois and California have officially dismantled that safety net. As of February 2026, the legal definition of "pollution" is shifting, and the gap between standard Commercial General Liability (CGL) coverage and reality has become a canyon. The Illinois "Permit" Trap: Compliance is Not CoverageOn January 23, 2026, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a decision in Griffith Foods International, Inc. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. that sent shockwaves through the manufacturing sector. The case involved decades of Ethylene Oxide (EtO) emissions from a medical sterilization facility. The business owner argued that because their emissions...
New EPA Rule Narrows State Oversight of Water Permits
February 4th, 2026
A new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could drastically change the way industrial projects obtain permits to discharge into U.S. waters. On Jan. 13 the Trump‑administration EPA announced that it would “return Clean Water Act Section 401 to its proper statutory purpose” by limiting state and tribal regulators to consider...
Texas Facilities Emit 1.6M Pounds of Pollutants During Freeze
February 3rd, 2026
When the temperature plummeted across Texas last week, business owners scrambled to keep lights on and pipes from bursting. But for the state’s industrial sector, the bitter cold brought a different kind of crisis—one that illustrates a terrifying reality...
The Georgia "Shield" and the Passive Receiver Trap
February 17th, 2026
Last week Georgia’s PFAS Receiver Shield Act faced a significant procedural reset in the House. The bill’s intent is to protect "receivers", ie. landfills, wastewater plants, and contractors who handle but don't manufacture PFAS—from being swept into the massive wave of litigation currently flooding U.S. courts. For contractors, this is a double-edged...
NY Firm’s Disposal Failure Serves as $2M Cautionary Tale
January 26th, 2026
In a stark reminder that environmental liability does not end when a waste hauler leaves the job site, a prominent New York-based construction and demolition firm is facing massive...
Fatal Hydrogen Sulfide Release in Maine
February 11th, 2026
The chemical industry was served a somber reminder of its inherent risks on January 27, 2026, when a toxic release at the Woodland Pulp facility in Baileyville, Maine, claimed the life of an intern and sent nine others to the hospital. On February 9,...