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When the Tank Fails: The Longview Paper Mill Disaster and the Liability That Follows
June 3rd, 2026
At approximately 7:15 a.m. on May 26, 2026, a 900,000-gallon white liquor storage tank catastrophically imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington. The timing could not have been worse. The implosion struck during a shift change, when a larger-than-normal number of workers were on site, including many gathered near a break room adjacent to the failed tank. Eleven workers were killed. Eight others were injured, some suffering severe chemical burns and inhalation injuries. It is being described as Washington state's deadliest workplace incident in nearly a century. What Is White Liquor, and Why Does It Matter? White liquor is not a benign industrial byproduct. It is a concentrated caustic chemical mixture: sodium hydroxide (lye), sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate, used in the kraft pulping...
West Virginia Chemical Plant Incident: The Insurance Exposure Behind the Headlines
April 30th, 2026
The Incident at a GlanceCatalyst Refiners is a chemical manufacturing subsidiary of Ames Goldsmith Corp., a precious metals manufacturer headquartered in New York. The Institute facility operates in what is historically known as West Virginia's "chemical valley," a stretch of the Kanawha River corridor with a long legacy of industrial chemical manufacturing....
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...
When the Chemical Isn't Named: Paris, Kentucky Factory Leak
May 20th, 2026
The Incident at a GlanceThe ITW Ramset facility in Paris, Kentucky, is a manufacturing site owned by Illinois Tool Works, Inc., the Fortune 200 industrial conglomerate. The Paris plant operates under the Ramset Red Head brand, producing powder-actuated fastening tools, concrete and steel anchors, and adhesive anchor systems for commercial construction....
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...
Fort Smith Tank Rupture: When Federal Response Ends, the Insurance Story Begins
May 11th, 2026
The Incident at a GlanceC&S Chemicals, Inc., headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, is a manufacturer of water treatment chemicals. Its product line includes aluminum sulfate, sodium aluminate, sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide, sold to municipal drinking...