Atlanta Environmental Law Attorneys Blog | Georgia Land Use & Zoning Lawyers

Georgia workers working for clean air -- from home

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Environmental Cleanup on Friday, May 24, 2013.

In what work situation would you be most effective? Do you work best while in the office and surrounded by colleagues? Would you be able to be effective if your office was in your home and you had less of a commute? Companies across the nation, including many within Georgia, are tackling the various questions regarding telecommuting. Some high-profile businesses have recently shut down the option for their employers to work remotely.

Various Georgia businesses, however, continue to see telecommuting as a positive option in regards to workers' production and professional satisfaction. But there is another noble reason for employers to try to make telecommuting work: the environment.

Big appliance manufacturer is target of toxic torts

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Toxic Torts on Friday, May 17, 2013.

Look around your home. Look at your washing machine. Look at your refrigerator. Look at your dishwasher. Do you have anything that is Whirlpool brand? It is a popular home brand, but that doesn't mean that the company behind the appliances that so many Americans count on does everything right.

In fact, various parties are accusing Whirlpool Corp. of some extremely serious negligence behaviors. There are now two class-action lawsuits filed against the company in Ohio, lawsuits that involve plaintiffs suffering from cancer and other ailments.

More air quality improvements necessary to improve kids' health

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Toxic Torts on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

If there is any reason why the public can agree that environmental matters matter, it is for the health of the nation's children. Kids are born into this world having played no role in the condition of the environment. Yet, they are the most vulnerable to the problems that exist within the water, air and overall environmental landscape.

The Huffington Post recently reported on the current air conditions in the U.S. Though improvements have supposedly been made to address air quality, kids are still suffering from the toxins that remain in the air that they breathe. The following are a few findings regarding contaminated air and children's health:

Oil from spill might be 'out of sight' but not necessarily gone

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Environmental Cleanup on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

In a world that runs on oil and a country that still largely depends on it, more oil spills will happen within the U.S. The recent Deepwater Horizon spill is an extreme example of the damage that the oil industry can cause the environment. Not just the water and wildlife are impacted by the massive accidental spill; livelihoods took a major hit in areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

A journal called Environmental Pollution recently published a study that argues how not even the so-called cleanup efforts in cases like Deepwater Horizon are clean. In fact, the scientists behind the environmental study suggest that the science used to supposedly clean up the oil leaves behind a toxic substance that adds just another, more toxic threat to the wildlife within the water.

Georgia Power shares the spirit of Earth Day

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Environmental Cleanup on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

This week, various communities around the United States are celebrating Earth Day. April 22 marked the 43rd anniversary of the celebration.

With this news, Georgia Power announced that it has reached a deal to import wind energy from Oklahoma to the state by 2016. Several environmental organizations across the nation are in support of the move.

Ogeechee River plaintiffs will have day in court by end of year

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Riverkeepers on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

The drama over the pollution in the Ogeechee River has gone on for almost two years now, since King America Finishing allegedly caused such pollution in the Georgia water that 38,000 fish died. According to The Savannah Morning News, the judge in the water contamination case has set a date for the beginning of the civil case involving 63 individual lawsuits.

We have discussed the water quality dispute between Ogeechee River area residents and KAF in the past. The most recent development had been tied to the fact that the textile plant has been allowed to keep running its discharge into the river. Though officials have given KAF the go-ahead to put its allegedly toxic discharge into the river, residents in the area are not letting that stop them from fighting for the well-being of their community.

Third party will review credibility of fish-counting in South

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Environmental Law on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

Many people's livings depend on the environment. The fishing industry, for example, is directly impacted when something shakes up the environment. The industry can also be impacted by government regulations and processes.

Businesses that make a living off of fishing from the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic are watching a matter unfold regarding how the government sets catch limits within the fishing industry. There's debate over the accuracy of fish-counting and whether it needlessly limits the fishing industry's numbers.

Toxic exposure affects people right down to their toenails

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Toxic Torts on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

Health reports are abuzz with a recent incident of potential toxic exposure in New Jersey. Though the situation isn't taking place in Georgia, the environmental and health matter presents a point that's relevant everywhere: people's health is directly tied to the health of the environment around them.

Decades ago a manufacturing plant operated near what is now primarily a residential area. There was reportedly a spill and now scientists suspect that those who live in the neighborhood are suffering from health problems associated with the supposed chemical exposure.

Coca-Cola admits misleading Atlanta officials about wastewater

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Environmental Law on Friday, March 29, 2013.

When manufacturers and industrial businesses in Atlanta have wastewater they need to get rid of, they are required to disclose how much they dump into the city's water supply. So when a company admits that it dumped more wastewater than it let on, even a company as large as Coca-Cola, it is cause for concern.

Coca-Cola recently filed its annual report with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. Included in the report was an admission that information filed with local regulators regarding how much wastewater the company's syrup plant in Atlanta had dumped "may contain certain inaccurate information." Just how "inaccurate" the disclosures were is not clear from a news report about the SEC filing. The company acknowledged that it may face fines or other penalties as a result.

Oil companies accused of toxic exposure due to diluted product

On behalf of Stack & Associates, P.C. posted in Toxic Torts on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

Oil runs more than just the cars that we drive. It is used to heat buildings, including the buildings that some residents live in or where kids attend school. When the matter is heated what is put in the air might be invisible to the naked eye, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't impact people's health.

This is particularly true if heating oil is not comprised of what it is supposed to be according to environmental safety standards. In an out-of-state case, officials are currently investigating oil suppliers responsible for much of the building heating in New York's metropolitan area. There's suspicion that the heating oil that the companies are supplying is unsafe.

Atlanta Environmental Law Blog