Environmental violations include the improper disposal of waste, emissions of toxic substances, and illegal exploitation of natural resources. These practices can lead to significant environmental damage, including pollution of air and water, destruction of habitats, and loss of biodiversity. The repercussions are long-lasting, affecting the health of local communities, reducing the quality of natural resources, and contributing to global environmental crises like climate change.
In the present day world of neoliberal capitalism, corporations often prioritize profit over people and the environment. The case of the Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC) highlights the severe consequences of corporate negligence, particularly in the realm of environmental…
Introduction In May of 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Walmart Inc. alleging that the retail giant deceived consumers by labeling one of its Equate brand sunscreens as “Reef Friendly.” At first glance, it might seem like a minor marketing…
It begins with an unsettling discrepancy: Massachusetts residents who believed they were paying for 100% renewable electricity from CleanChoice Energy, Inc. instead received power that was allegedly the same “brown” energy flowing through standard utility lines—just at a far higher…
Allegations of environmental wrongdoing can at first seem like a mere technical dispute over regulatory minutiae. But the federal Consent Decree filed in United States v. Denali Water Solutions, LLC lays out something far more serious. According to the government’s…
On March 23, 2017, crews working on behalf of Avista Corporation—one of the leading utilities in the Pacific Northwest—went into the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area to stabilize, move, and replace a power pole. In so doing, they trespassed on…
On a quiet stretch of land in North St. Louis County, Missouri, a legal battleground has been raging over allegations that tens of millions of dollars in cleanup costs resulted from the negligent handling of hazardous, radioactive waste. The legal…
On August 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Consent Agreement and Final Order against Colville, Inc., a company operating in Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse, Alaska, for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The 24-page…
In a world where corporate giants often prioritize profits over principles, the recent settlement between Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. and the EPA serves as a glaring reminder of the consequences of negligence. The company has agreed to pay $237,537 for…
In the public record of environmental enforcement actions, few documents are as startling as the revised consent decree entered on August 30, 2021, between the United States government, the State of Indiana, and United States Steel Corporation (U.S. Steel). The…
It began in August 2019 with a pump failure. By itself, such a mechanical glitch might seem minor—an annoying but inevitable hiccup in an industrial setting. Yet according to the complaint filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and…