AFTER 26-YEAR DELAY, ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP NEARS COMPLETION AT CONTAMINATED WEST VALLEY SITE

FlatheadBeacon.com

A $1.2 million emergency cleanup by the EPA has been underway at the “Valley Drive Abandoned Slurry Site”. Cleanup at the Site has included the disassembly and removal of 545 tons of contaminated soil, 80,000 gallons of tank waste and 180 cubic yards of steel waste.

A local firefighter notified the EPA after noticing that “a dark material leaking from the largest tank was pooling on the ground” in the public right of way, the tanks were barely intact. “We could have been mere weeks to months away from serious well and groundwater contamination,” the firefighter stated.

Sampling at the site confirmed the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs — specifically, the carcinogenic compounds xylene, ethylbenzene and naphthalene.

FLORIDA ‘CAT FUND’ EYES $10B IN IAN LOSSES

www.Law.com

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (“Cat Fund”) is a state program that provides backup coverage to property insurers. The Cat Fund provides relatively inexpensive reinsurance to carriers as a way to help stabilize the property insurance market. Carriers also buy private reinsurance, which serves as backup coverage to help pay claims in situations such as hurricanes.

The maximum potential liability of the Cat Fund this year is $17 billion under Florida state law. “Pre-event” bonds provided the fund with $15.8 billion in cash and proceeds going into the hurricane season.

The fund’s chief operating officer, said that at least 82 companies expect to get Cat Fund reimbursements, with 28 drawing their maximum amounts. By comparison, nine carriers received maximum amounts after Hurricane Irma in 2017. It is estimated that the Cat Fund’s share of losses at $4 billion to $12 billion and projected a “conservative point estimate of $10 billion.”

While the Cat Fund expects to be able to handle Ian’s losses, it will go into the 2023 hurricane season with substantially less money than it otherwise would have expected.

LEAD CONTAMINATION IN INDIA NEEDS CORPORATE AND GOVERNMENT ACTION FOR SOLUTION

www.CircleOfBlue.org

A recent study with CSIR and another study with UNICEF found that half of the children in India are currently lead-poisoned with elevated blood lead levels. It is estimated that that almost 50 percent of car batterie recycling in the country is happening either in informal recycling or not in eco-friendly recycling.

2021 COLORADO WILDFIRE LOSSES SURPASS $2 BILLION

www.gjsentinel.com

A wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and businesses in suburban Denver last winter is now the costliest in Colorado history as it has now caused more than $2 billion in losses.

Official estimates released days after the fire put the losses at more than $500 million; however, additional insurance claims and assessments of the scope of rebuilding from the wildfire prompted the new estimate.

A Colorado Division of Insurance analysis found that 67% of homeowners who lost their homes in Boulder County didn't have enough insurance to replace them. Lawmakers are passing bills aimed to boost firefighting resources and mitigation planning.

BOARD UPDATED ON CONTAMINATION AT ELK RIVER LANDFILLL

www.StarTribune.com

During a workshop meeting on October 4, Waste Management Groundwater Protection Program Senior Director Terry Johnson presented an overview of groundwater investigations that led to corrective actions at the Elk River Landfill. Groundwater has been monitored at the site three times a year for more than 35 years through a variety of methods, which includes borings and well samplings.

The contamination mainly consists of vinyl chloride, which federal law requires to be 2 parts per billion or lower. Minnesota law, however, requires vinyl chloride contamination to be 0.2 parts per billion or lower. Terry Johnson said the contamination at the Elk River Landfill doesn’t meet the federal limit for contamination but does meet Minnesota’s limit.

There are several ways to attempt to limit groundwater contamination from the unlined portion of the landfill, including putting a liner over the top to prevent water going through the site and putting in gas collection to pull out contaminants, both of which Waste Management has already done according to Terry Johnson. Another option is for Waste Management could pump groundwater out, treat it and put it somewhere else.

INVESTORS EYE FLORIDA HOMES DAMAGED BY HURRICANE IAN

www.CNBC.com/

Investors and home buyers are hunting for deals on damaged homes and distressed commercial properties despite the destruction that Hurricane Ian brought to southwestern Florida less than a month ago. Home prices have skyrocketed in recent years so investors may take advantage of the Florida residents who want to leave the state.

The full extent of damage caused by the storm in southwestern Florida continues to be assessed. The total cost of flood and wind damage to Florida residential and commercial properties is expected to fall between $40-$64 billion.

While Americans may be uncertain about moving to a market that is prone to hurricanes, the median sales price for a single-family home in southwestern Florida increased by nearly 25 percent to $725,000 between August 2021 and August 2022.

TRUST’S PLEA SEEKING PROPERTY DAMAGES FROM AHMEDABAD MUNICIPAL CORPORATION DISMISSED

TimesOfIndia.IndiaTimes.com

A division bench of the Gujarat High Court recently dismissed an appeal by a public charitable trust, which ran a park in Juhapura, seeking damages and compensation for destruction of their property to the tune of crores ($10 million) by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The Society for Promoting Rationality (SPRAT), was running the Muskaan Park in Juhapura on a land owned by the AMC. According to SPRAT, the AMC evicted them on short notice during the Covid-19 pandemic. SPRAT moved the high court in 2021 where a single-judge court had ruled that the court cannot go into the jurisdiction of paying damages, as it requires a detailed inquiry. However, it granted SPRAT the liberty to move the appropriate court to seek damages.

RITZ CARLTON NAPLES TO REMAIN CLOSED

www.naplesnews.com

Florida’s West Coast could be without one of its’ luxury resorts through 2023 due to damage caused by Hurricane Ian.

The Ritz Carlton, Naples, has given notice to the state of Florida that it is forced to temporarily lay off 591 of its workforce while the hotel is closed, effective October 13. The hotel’s HR manager informed the state that the property is focusing on a reopening date in the early part of 2023, but “the reopening could be extended with the rebuilding of the power grid, infrastructure and supply chain delays.” The manager also stated that the layoffs could span six months or more.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida on Sept. 28 as a near Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds just under 155 mph.