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Oil Refinery Targeted by Wyoming OSHA for Alleged Violations from September 2013 Explosion

Wyoming OSHA issued seven citations to a refinery for violations stemming from a September 2013 explosion and fire caused by leaking hydrogen that ignited.  The citations include willful, serious, and repeat serious violations and proposed penalties totaling $201,000.  While no injuries resulted from the incident, Wyoming OSHA contends that the incident would have been prevented if the...

Natural Gas Well Owner/Operator Must Indemnify Drilling Services Contractor for Alleged Well Water Contamination Caused by Fracking Based on Contract

An Ohio drilling services company provided services under a drilling contract to a Pennsylvania natural gas production company in areas of the Appalachian Basin.  Following the drilling of a natural gas well in Jackson County, West Virginia, a local family sued the production company and the drilling services company alleging that the company discharged hydraulic fracturing...

FRA Proposed Rule Will Require Two-Person Crews on Crude Oil Trains

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced Wednesday that it will issue a proposed rule requiring two-person crews on crude oil trains.  The FRA moved forward with the rulemaking after a Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) Working Group created at DOT’s request in response to the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec derailment failed to reach...

Supreme Court of Colorado Will Decide Whether Fracking Toxic Tort Case Can Proceed

A Colorado family brought suit against several drilling companies claiming negligence, negligence per se, strict liability, and trespass related to physical and property injuries allegedly caused by drilling activities that contaminated the air, water, and ground near the family’s home.  After the parties filed initial disclosures, the companies asked the trial court to enter a Lone...

U.S. Supreme Court Declines To Review West Virginia Residents’ Settlement with Chemical Company

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a $93 million settlement between a West Virginia chemical plant that is no longer operational and local residents following the West Virginia Supreme Court affirming the class-action settlement in 2013.  The lawsuit alleged that dioxins from the waste-burning process of Agent Orange production contaminated the Nitro, West Virginia community. ...

OSHA Concludes Public Hearings On Proposed Crystalline Silica Exposure Limits

OSHA concluded a three-week public hearing on proposed regulations seeking to limit workers’ exposure to crystalline silica.  Crystalline silica exposure has been linked to health risks, including silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease.  An estimated 2.2. million workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica, including those involved in...

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