KING COUNTY MOVES TOWARD $5 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH SUQUAMISH TRIBE OVER SEWAGE OVERFLOWS

www.SeattleTimes.com

King County, Washington, is prepared to pay over $5 million to settle a threatened lawsuit from the Suquamish Tribe. The threatened lawsuit regarded the millions of gallons of sewage spills that have overflowed from county treatment plants into Puget Sound, Washington. The settlement also sets timelines for an estimated $600 million in improvements over the next decade to the county's West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle, Washington's Discovery Park. The settlement includes a $40,000 penalty for missed deadlines and $10,000 for each additional month of delay. Half of the proposed $5 million settlement would go into a mitigation fund, controlled by the tribe. The other half would go toward a new environmental project of the county’s choosing and must be completed within five years.

WELLS FARGO TO PAY $94M TO SETTLE MORTGAGE FORBEARANCE SUIT

FairShake.com

A class-action lawsuit filed against Wells Fargo argued that they sent more than 200,000 mortgage borrowers into forbearance during the pandemic unlawfully and without their consent. Wells Fargo agreed to pay $94 Million in order to settle the lawsuit. This decision by Wells Fargo damaged borrowers’ credit scores, making it more difficult for them to refinance their mortgages when rates were at their lowest levels in history and violated the CARES Act. Wells Fargo has denied any wrongdoing and said its underwriting practices are consistently applied regardless of the customer.

FOUR COMPANIES IN $437K SETTLEMENT OVER RYE BROOK MERCURY CONTAMINATION CASE

WestFairOnline.com

American Iron & Metal Co., Culp Industries, Paramount Global, and Public Service Company of New Hampshire have agreed to a $437,255 settlement with the federal government for their role in contaminating the Village of Rye Brook, New York, with thousands of pounds of mercury. The contamination occurred at Port Refinery; a mercury refining business bordered by private residences. A ruling by the EPA has determined that Port Refinery took close to no environmental precautions or safety measures during its mercury refinement process between the 1970s and 1990s. The contamination resulted in two separate EPA remediation projects involving more than 9,300 tons of contaminated soil.

CONTAMINATION AT TIWAI POINT SMELTER SITE, REPORT FINDS

www.NewsTalkzb.co.nz

New Zealand Aluminum Smelters (NZAS) has commissioned a report and discovered "numerous legacy and ongoing sources of contamination to the environment" at its Tiwai site. EHS Support, a consultancy with international experience in decommissioning smelters, concluded that chemicals have been discharged into the environment including groundwater, soil, and coastal marine areas. Fluoride was recorded at 8-16% concentration within surface soil in some areas. NZAS has estimated it'll cost around $700 million to clean up the site when the smelter enters the remediation phase.

MOSQUITO FIRE: HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOUR HOME WAS DAMAGED IN THE WILDFIRE

www.SFGate.com

California Fire's Damage Inspection Specialist Team has started assessments in the Volcanoville, Georgetown, and Quintette areas following the Mosquito Fire. They will be providing a new map that shows the conditions of homes in the area. These assessments will be ongoing as the fire continues to burn. Officials are recommending homeowners periodically check the map because the map will continue to be updated as information becomes available. More than 5,800 structures in Placer and El Dorado counties were under threat along with 11,000 residents of local communities.

HUNDREDS EVACUATED IN WEST INDONESIA AFTER MAGNITUDE 6.1 EARTHQUAKE

www.ChinaDailyHK.com

On September 11th, nearly 200 people were evacuated to higher ground after a 6.1 earthquake stuck on the western side of Jakarta, Indonesia. The earthquake originated from 17 miles below sea level and was followed by another 5.3 magnitude earthquake in the same area. Although there was no danger of a tsunami, one person was reported injured by falling wood. Residents claimed that the earthquakes shook their wooden houses violently. A local health center and elementary school suffered damages during the storm. The Eastern New Guinea region in Papua New Guinea suffered a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on the same day.

$11.3 MILLION NIH SUPERFUND AWARD TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES CAUSED BY VOCS

Wayne.edu

Wayne State University has received a five-year $11.3 million award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. This award was given to create a new Superfund Research Program, the Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research, or CLEAR. The center will be dedicated to understanding and mitigating adverse birth outcomes and serious developmental health problems that have been associated with urban environmental exposure to volatile organic chemicals. These pollutants are found on the sub surfaces of postindustrial cities like Detroit. CLEAR will provide new methods for assessment, testing and mitigation to help reduce toxic exposures and improve health outcomes. Headquartered on the Wayne State University campus, CLEAR will focus on Detroit as the principal study site.

MORTGAGE RATES HIT 5.89% HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE THE 2008 HOUSING CRASH

TedMag.com

U.S. mortgage rates have hit their highest levels in almost 14 years. The 30-year rate jumped to 5.89% from 5.66% recently. That's the highest the long-term rate has been since November of 2008. A year ago, the rate stood at 2.88%. The Federal Reserve announced in March, 2022, that it was raising its benchmark short-term interest rate. We are also seeing the first time the 15-year rate has been above 5% since 2009. A year ago, the rate stood at 2.19%. Home buyers will pay up to $600 more per month for a conventional 30-year mortgage. Home prices have continued to climb, and were nearly 16% higher in July, 2022, compared with a year ago.

WOMAN WHO BOUGHT $19 MILLION PENTHOUSE IN NYC IS SUING A REAL-ESTATE AGENCY AFTER FOR TRICKING HER INTO THINKING THE BUILDING HAD A FULL-TIME DOORMAN

www.Yahoo.com

The New York Post reported that a woman had bought a penthouse in at 37 Warren Street, Tribeca, New York, for $19 million and was suing Corcoran Group and Zoelle LLC on the claim that they tricked her into believing she would have a full-time doorman. The buyer terminated the contract in August and demanded a refund of her $1.9 million deposit after learning that the seller and brokers had concealed that there was a part-time doorman and virtual doorman in the evenings. She's seeking punitive damages in excess of $2.5 million as well as the reimbursement of her legal fees.

RANCH OWNER: CORNER-CROSSING DAMAGES COULD EXCEED $7 MILLION

www.WyomingNews.com

The owner of Elk Mountain Ranch claims that four hunters corner-hopped to hunt public land near his property and caused damages that could exceed $7 million. Iron Bar attorney Gregory Weisz signed a disclosure statement that alleges damages of between $3.1 million to $7.75 million. The document was signed Aug, 29, 2022, and served to those involved in the corner-crossing case. A decision that corner crossing or other ways of accessing public land is not trespassing could devalue a ranch because the ranch would no longer be closed property. The suit claims the men trespassed by passing through the airspace above the ranch, interfering with “the exclusive use, possession, and control” of the property. The disclosure statement is four pages long and is supported by what one source said is another 104 pages of deeds, an appraisal and other material.

"WORST-EVER" STORM TO HIT SOUTH KOREA THREATENS CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE

www.NYTimes.com

Super Typhoon Hinnamnor is forecasted to be the strongest storm in South Korea's history. The storm is supposed to hit the coastal areas of South Korea within the first week of September, 2022. Extremely intense wind and rain could cause a typhoon surge and flooding. The nation of South Korea should be prepared to prevent any catastrophic damages. Hinnamnor is forecast to be even more destructive than Typhoon Sarah in 1959. Typhoon Sarah killed more than 600 people and injured 2,533, and caused 249 billion won ($180 million) in property damage

BOIL WATER ADVISORY ISSUED FOR A 50-SQUARE-BLOCK AREA OF WEST BALTIMORE

www.98Online.com

The Department of Public Works (DPW) for Baltimore, Maryland, has issued a “boil water advisory” for 54 square blocks of Harlem Park and the southern part of Sandtown-Winchester. This issue was released nearly 24 hours after Baltimore officials learned of E. coli contamination. Initially the Department of Public Works (DPW) said the contamination was confined to three city-owned facilities in West Baltimore. Officials said September 5th that the advisory affects approximately 1,500 residential and commercial buildings located within the impacted area of Riggs Avenue on the north and West Franklin Street on the south, and Pulaski Street on the west and North Carey Street on the east.

CHARRED CALIFORNIA TOWN NO STRANGER TO WILDFIRE

MyNorthWest.com

A California wildfire has displaced thousands of people in the small community of Weed about 50 miles south of the Oregon border. The Mill Fire started at Roseburg Forest Productsand spread into the Lincoln Heights neighborhood where a significant number of homes burned. 7,500 residents were told to evacuate as the fire took over 6.6 square miles. By Saturday night, the fire had been 25% contained and a total of 100 structures had been damaged or burned completely.

WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE AND 3M AGREE TO $54 MILLION SETTLEMENT OVER KENT COUNTY PFAS CONTAMINATION

www.Century21.com

Preliminary approval of a $54 million settlement has been given by a federal judge in order to help homeowners affected by PFAS contamination in northern Kent County, Michigan. A lawsuit was filed against Wolverine Worldwide and 3M. The $54 million will be divided among four groups of property owners: those who are eligible to be connected to municipal water, those who received filters for their well-water, properties where no filtration is in place, and properties where PFAS levels tested below state standards.

Prior to the settlement, Wolverine Worldwide agreed to pay more than $69 million for homes with contaminated wells in the area to be connected to municipal water systems, and 3M agreed to pay $55 million to Wolverine Worldwide to cover its obligations.

FLOODS RAVAGE PAKISTAN LEAVING 1,000 DEAD AND $10 BILLION IN DAMAGE

www.WSJ.com

The largest amount of rainfall in three decades has caused Pakistan to flood, killing at least 1,000 people and caused more than $10 billion in damage. This extreme weather event came after some of the highest recorded temperatures across South Asia. There was no immediate assessment of how badly the various sectors of the economy had been affected and the damage may exceed $10 billion.

'FOREVER CHEMICALS' POSE CONCERN IN NEW MEXICO

www.LubbockOnline.com

New Mexico's environmental regulators warned on August 25th to state lawmakers that taxpayers could be financially responsible for groundwater contamination since the U.S. Defense Department continues to challenge the state's authority to force cleanup of "forever chemicals" at Cannon Air Force Base. The plumes of PFAS compounds are projected to move further beyond the boundaries of Cannon Air Force Base. The state has already spent $6 million on the problem. Lawmakers suggested they might consider amending the state's hazardous waste law to remove any ambiguity regarding the Environment Department's authority for toxic chemicals.

A COMMUNITY SACRIFICED TO URANIUM MINING POLLUTION

Pulitzercenter.org

The northwestern New Mexico communities of Murray Acres and Broadview Acres have created a "Death Map" detailing residents in the area that have died from thyroid disease, cancer, and breast cancer. The residents believe that the cause of these illnesses is due to the 22.2 million tons of uranium waste left over from milling ore. A 1958 uranium mill owned by Homestake Mining Company of California processed and refined ore mined nearby. The waste left behind leaked uranium and selenium into groundwater and released the cancer-causing gas radon into the air.

In the 1980s, Homestake promised residents of Murray Acres and Broadview Acres that the groundwater would be cleaned within a decade. After missing that deadline, the company told regulators it would complete the job around 2006, then by 2013. In 2014, an EPA report confirmed the site posed a cancer risk and identified radon as the greatest threat to residents’ health. The cleanup target date shifted again to 2017, then 2022.

MANY STILL SEEKING FOOD, SHELTER A YEAR AFTER HAITI QUAKE

www.NewsWeek.com

More than 2,200 people were killed during the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Southern Haiti on August 14, 2021. More than 130,000 houses were damaged or destroyed as well. There are several camps surrounding the southern coastal city of Les Cayes where residents are still waiting for government assistance. In an effort of the property owner trying to take back the land where the refugees settled, property owners have ripped apart the shacks, thrown rocks at families and tried to set the camp on fire twice in recent months.

The government says it has planted 400 tons of beans, cleaned 10,000 meters of canals, distributed 22,000 bags of fertilizer and donated more than 300,000 baskets filled with basic goods. It has provided $100 each to vulnerable people in tens of thousands of homes across the south. However, more than 250,000 children still have no access to adequate schools and that the majority of 1,250 schools destroyed or damaged have not been rebuilt.

SBA OFFERS DISASTER ASSISTANCE TO OAK FIRE SURVIVORS

www.kqed.org

California Business and residents affected by the Oak Fire that began on July 22, 2022, will be offered a low-interest federal disaster loan. The Small Business Administration (SBA) declared a disaster under its own authority in response to a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authorized representative, Mark Ghilarducci, on Aug. 6, 2022. The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available in Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties. Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

MODERN BUILDING CODES COULD HELP REDUCE NATURAL DISASTER DAMAGES

www.ValuePenguin.com

The most recent ValuePenguin study indicated that property owners could be financially protected against losses from certain whether events by adopting building codes established in 2015 or later. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has indicated that properties across the U.S could save $ 1.6 billion in damages annually. Hurricane-resistant building codes appear to be a leading deterrent.