A district court held that the prior owner of a contaminated site is jointly and severally liable for the current owner's response costs under CERCLA §107(a). The prior owner argued that the current owner has not incurred costs that are necessary or consistent with the NCP. But there is ample uncon...

The Tenth Circuit reversed in part and affirmed in part a lower court decision holding the seller of contaminated yet commercially viable buildings liable as an arranger under CERCLA. Due to hazardous substance contamination, the buildings were under an EPA order regulating their use. The prior owne...

The D.C. Circuit dismissed a truck association's lawsuit against EPA challenging California's tractor-trailer emission rules. The association argued that the state regulations impermissibly discriminate against out-of-state tractor trailers in violation of the dormant Commerce Clause. The associatio...

The Federal Claims Court held that the U.S. government may not engage in discovery about oil companies' insurance policies in an underlying case concerning cleanup costs stemming from the production of high-octane aviation gas (avgas) during World War II. The Federal Circuit previously held that the...

A district court held that a waste broker is liable as an arranger under CERCLA and the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act (TSWDA) in connection with the disposal of waste at the U.S. Oil Recovery Superfund site in Texas. A manufacturing company hired the broker to help facilitate the movement of its wa...

A district court dismissed property owners' lawsuit against a mining company for unlawfully diverting excess wastewater into underground mine voids located beneath their land. Although the owners filed suit after the statute-of-limitations period expired, the owners argued that CERCLA's discovery ru...

The Sixth Circuit held that two administrative orders on consent (AOCs) that a power company entered into with EPA in connection with two coal gasification plants owned and operated by its predecessor in interest nearly 70 years ago do not constitute "administrative settlements" under CERCLA. Under ...

A district court denied in part and granted in part EPA's motion to dismiss property owners' lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an EPA compliance order under CWA §309. EPA determined that, in the course of developing the property, the owners discharged dredge and fill materials into water...

A district court granted a motion to reconsider its prior decision that a PRP established the divisibility defense and, therefore, should not be jointly and severally liable for cleanup costs at the Lower Fox River Superfund site in Wisconsin, and held that the PRP had not, in fact, established the ...