Latest news with #ErinBrockovich
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
California Proposes Major Drinking Water Change: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A bill introduced in California by state senators Anna Caballero and Alexandra Macedo, a Democrat and Republican, respectively, would give water agencies immunity from civil lawsuits regarding chromium-6 contamination in their supply if they are actively working on plans to address the issue. Caballero argued California Senate Bill 466 is needed so water agencies can concentrate on removing the potentially cancer-causing contaminant from their supply, rather than spending their limited resources on legal cases. Newsweek contacted state Senators Caballero and Macedo for comment on Thursday via telephone and voicemail message outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters Chromium-6 is a known carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer in humans when inhaled or ingested in certain amounts. During the 1990s, a case against Pacific Gas and Electric over contamination of its water in Hinkley, California, with chromium-6 resulted in a $333 million settlement and formed the basis of the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich. According to the Los Banos Enterprise, a newspaper serving the town of 50,000 in central California, water testing has uncovered chromium-6 levels in the settlement above the legal California limit of 10 parts per billion. What To Know Senate Bill 466 would protect water suppliers from civil lawsuits over chromium-6 in California, provided they are either implementing a state-approved compliance plan to reduce chromium-6 levels from their water or are waiting to see if a proposed plan is approved. However, the powers of state regulators are not impacted. The legislation has been endorsed by the City of Los Banos and passed by the California Senate, and is currently making its way through the California State Assembly. Stock photograph showing water running from a tap. Stock photograph showing water running from a tap. show999/GETTY According to the Los Banos Enterprise, city officials estimate reducing chromium-6 levels in water supplied to the town to the state-regulated level will cost around $65 million, around half its annual budget. Los Banos is expected to submit a compliance plan later in 2025 to the State Water Resources Control Board. If Senate Bill 466 is passed, this would protect water suppliers to the city from civil lawsuits while they work to reduce chromium-6 levels. In 2019, the Environmental Working Group concluded that chromium-6 is in the drinking water consumed by more than 200 million Americans. What People Are Saying Addressing The Fresno Bee, state Senator Caballero said: "The goal of SB 466 is not to block accountability, but to make sure resources go toward fixing the problem — not fighting premature lawsuits while a water system is actively working under state oversight to meet the standard. "This bill strikes the balance between protecting public health and giving water providers the time and tools they need to deliver safe water without diverting funds to litigation when they are already doing everything required by the state to comply." Speaking to non-profit news website CalMatters, Los Banos Mayor Michael Amabile said: "I really don't want to go down as the mayor that quadruples water rates, so I need the help from the state." In a report, California state Senate Judiciary Committee staff wrote: "Immunity from liability tends to strip incentives to act with reasonable care by taking away the consequence of having to pay for any damages caused by doing otherwise." In an opinion piece for the publication The Fresno Bee writer Tad Weber said: "A water department as large as Los Banos cannot be brought into legal jeopardy over an inability to pay for a new treatment system that must go online in mere years. Cleaning out chromium-6 will take some time — and money. "Caballero's bill seeks to be a buffer while still ensuring the state does not lose any enforcement capability. As strange as it is for a senior Democrat in the Legislature to argue for protecting water agencies with contaminated supplies, in this case it makes sense." What Happens Next The California State Assembly is expected to vote on Senate Bill 466 in August.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
DuPont Agrees to $27 Million Payout in Hoosick Falls Water Contamination
A small town in upstate New York may be close to a final victory in a nearly decade-long legal battle against some of the nation's biggest companies over the contamination of its water supply. Corporate giant DuPont, one of the companies that produced a toxic chemical found in the water of Hoosick, a town with fewer than 7,000 people, has agreed to a $27 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit that drew the attention of celebrity environmental activist Erin Brockovich. The matter was supposed to go to trial this week but was postponed because of progress in settlement negotiations, according to an announcement on Wednesday by lawyers for the plaintiffs. The agreement would need preliminary approval from Judge Mae A. D'Agostino in U.S. District Court in Albany, N.Y. A period where class members can file claims would follow before the court can issue a final greenlight. According to Hadley E. Lundback, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, there was no admission of liability by DuPont. A spokesman for the company said that he could not comment on active litigation. 'We've accomplished everything I set out to do,' said Michael Hickey, one of those who sued after first discovering the tainted water in 2014. 'I couldn't be happier with the outcome.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Julia Roberts' VERY simple celebration for 23rd wedding anniversary despite being worth $250million
Julia Roberts is one of the richest movie stars on the planet, when it comes to her martial life with husband Danny Moder, it seems the pair like to keep things frugal over flashy. The Academy Award winner, 57, who has a reported net worth of $250 million, opted to celebrate their 23rd anniversary in a surprising and relatable way. With that amount of money, they could have dined at the most expensive restaurant in the world, Sublimotion in Ibiza, Spain, which offers a 20-course tasting menu priced at $2,380 per person. Or taken a private jet to anywhere around the world. But instead, the couple proved that no amount of money can buy happiness as they enjoyed a very simple-looking camping trip together. 'You + Me = 23,' the Erin Brockovich star wrote in the caption of her tent photo. Moder also shared a snap from their outdoor adventure. He captioned his post, '23 years is we are in my engraved SPOON! the fun continues… and a happy 4th to all�� The couple married in 2002 at the My Best Friend's Wedding actress' 82-acre ranch in Taos, New Mexico, on Independence Day 2002. They exchanged simple vows with no wedding party or celebrity guests. The couple share three kids, twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 20, and Henry, 18. Julia has always prioritized her family over her career and said that becoming a celebrated actress was a 'dream come true,' but it wasn't her 'only dream come true. 'The life that I've built with my husband,' she told CBS Sunday Morning in 2022. 'The life that we've built with our children. And that's the best stuff, to come home at the end of the day triumphantly to them.' They say money can't buy happiness but Julia and Danny seem to have that in spades and have no need for the flashy display of wealth that other famous couples partake in Julia and Danny keep their relationship out of the public eye, but recently she gave partial credit to him for her youthful looks in her late 50s. 'Good genes, leading a life that is fulfilling, and I have said this—and I say it usually as kind of a joke—but I do believe in the love of a good man,' she told British Vogue in January. 'I believe that my husband loves me and cares for me in a way that makes me feel deeply, deeply happy.' Indeed, the Notting Hill actress said meeting Danny, 56, back in 2001 on the set of The Mexican was divine timing. 'The luckiest aspect of my work life/family life is that the success of my work life came earlier,' Julia explained. 'So by the time I had the success of my family life and had a husband and children who wanted to stay home, I had been working for 18 years. And so I felt that I had the luxury. I didn't have to pick one or the other,' she said. When asked what the key to their long lasting love is, Julia got a little cheeky in her reply. 'I always say that same thing and I'm sticking with it,' Julia told E! News in 2022. 'It's making out. Lots of making out.' 'The life that I've built with my husband,' she told CBS Sunday Morning in 2022. 'The life that we've built with our children. And that's the best stuff, to come home at the end of the day triumphantly to them.' The Leave the World Behind star marked their 21st anniversary two years ago with an Instagram pic of them smooching, captioning it, '#truelove #heckyeah #fromhereonout' 'He's my favorite person on the planet,' Roberts told People in 2020 of her husband. 'I love spending time with him… His point of view is really valuable to me.' She continued: 'Danny is very much a part of [our kids' routine] so there's only one little element gone – I like to think I'm an important element,' she said of being away from her children while filming. Her love for her husband and family has translated to greater happiness with herself as well. 'I just had my birthday and I don't think I had felt so happy on a birthday in quite a long while,' Roberts said. 'I think part of it is just the happy space that I'm lucky enough to occupy in the world, with my family and my friends – and I played Mahjong all day.'
Digital Trends
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Erin Brockovich is the movie you need to stream on Peacock this month
The year 2000 was an excellent one for director Steven Soderbergh. He directed not one, but two Best Picture nominees. Plus, Soderbergh took home the Oscar for Best Director for Traffic. The other movie he made that year is even better than Traffic. Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts at the peak of her powers, follows a single mother of three children who discovers a massive coverup being perpetuated by a major energy company. Here are three reasons you should check it out while it's on Peacock: Recommended Videos We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Julia Roberts has never been better People don't often win Oscars for the movie they delivered their best performance in, but that was absolutely the case here. Roberts' version of Erin Brockovich is a firecracker — a volatile woman who cares deeply about the real people affected by this cover-up and becomes determined to help them. Crucially, the movie suggests that Brockovich's kindness and her willingness to listen are central to the discoveries made in the case and to ultimately get these people the kind of settlement they deserve. Brockovich is highly competent, even if that competence is packaged a little unconventionally. The movie is a delicate tonal balance Because it's based on a true story, Erin Brockovich always feels grounded in some sort of reality. At the same time, the movie is always both funny and at least some degree, tense, in part because Brockovich and the small law firm she works for are going up against a massive conglomerate. The movie works because it's perfectly paced and because it knows exactly how to make all its characters feel interesting and alive. That's a result of great performances, but also thanks to Soderbergh's complete mastery of the moviemaking process. It's cast with people who feel real Julia Roberts is one of the most beautiful and radiant people alive. She's perfectly cast as Brockovich, who often feels larger than life. Soderbergh then chose to fill out the rest of the cast with actors like Albert Finney and Aaron Eckhart, who are plausible as people you might meet in a rural part of California. The movie's verisimilitude is key to its overall effect, and the actors that inhabit the movie's universe are key to that working. While there's a lot of pain and turmoil in this movie's plot, it doesn't hurt to have a happy ending. You can watch Erin Brockovich on Peacock.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Leaked documents reveal alleged cover-up of poison in water supply — here are the details
A nickel mining company in Indonesia is facing serious heat after leaked documents revealed they "did not disclose" polluting the local water supply with a cancer-causing chemical. The Guardian recently reported that the Harita Group allegedly lied about contaminating drinking water on the remote Obi Island with unsafe levels of hexavalent chromium (Cr6), the same chemical associated with Erin Brockovich in the 1990s. Cr6 is known to cause cancer, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, targeting the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin, and eyes. In Indonesia, the world's largest supplier of nickel, the maximum contaminant level of Cr6 legally allowed in drinking water is 50 parts per billion (ppb). An initial investigation by the Guardian in 2022, however, found the contaminant levels in a nearby village exceeding 60 ppb, which Harita disproved with its own lab results. However, the leaked documents revealed that just one day after releasing a statement, Harita found that the spring water did not meet Indonesian water quality standards and found even higher contamination values in the following days. Nickel production has become a booming business, as it is a crucial component of electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels. However, the push for more technology that is kinder to the environment requires an upfront manufacturing process that releases harmful carbon dioxide. While material suppliers want to meet growing demand, they must ensure they are doing the least harm possible during this process to offset the initial environmental impact of nickel production. By neglecting the responsibility of keeping drinking water clean, the Harita Group has undermined the value of the clean technology it supplies. Unfortunately, Cr6 contamination is not an uncommon occurrence. In the U.S., there have been recent incidents of company neglect leading to unsafe drinking water. Harita has yet to respond to the claims posed by The Guardian, but environmental experts say the new information should be taken seriously by the company and the Indonesian authorities. Environmental attorney Matthew Baird noted that while nickel production is crucial to a healthier planet, ensuring fair mining practices for the sake of nearby communities is a vital element of that effort. "Nickel is meant to be one of the transition metals [toward a more sustainable economy] and we require a just transition to ensure the protection of the environment, human rights, and the community," Baird said, per The Guardian. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
