LOWE’S TO ELIMINATE ‘BEE-KILLING PESTICIDES’ OVER NEXT FOUR YEARS

APRIL 9, 2015

Following letters and petitions from environmental groups, Lowe’s Home Improvement said Thursday it plans to phase out products that contain certain chemicals shown to be harmful to bees. 

As part of its annual corporate responsibility report, the Mooresville-based home improvement retailer said over the next four years, it will phase out products that contain neonicotinoid pesticides as suitable alternatives become commercially available. 

Over the past year, more than 20 nurseries, landscaping companies and retailers – including Lowe’s larger rival Home Depot, as well as Whole Foods and BJ’s Wholesale Club – have taken steps to eliminate “bee-killing pesticides” from their shelves, environmental group Friends of the Earth said in a statement Thursday. 

Lowe’s said in a statement that it would “include greater organic and non-neonic product selections, work with growers to eliminate the use of neonic pesticides on bee-attractive plants it sells and educate customers and employees through in-store and online resources.”

Environmental groups have been asking Lowe’s to remove the pesticides from their products for about two years, citing bee populations dying at an abnormal rate. In February 2014, activists delivered half a million petition signatures to Home Depot and Lowe’s asking the companies to stop selling bee-killing pesticides, according to the Friends of the Earth website. 

Lisa Archer, food and technology program director at Friends of the Earth, said the group is pleased Lowe’s is “listening to consumer concerns” and to the “growing body of science” linking pesticides to bee deaths. 

“Bees are canaries in the coalmine for our food system and everyone, including the business community, must act fast to protect them,” Archer said in a statement.

Lowe’s, the second biggest home improvement retailer in the U.S., operates 1,840 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company said it plans to open an additional 15 to 20 home improvement and hardware stores in 2015.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/

LOWE’S SCRUTINIZED FOR SELLING POTENTIALLY HARMFUL FLOORING CONTAINING PHTHALATES EXCEEDING U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFETY COMMISSION CHILDREN’S PRODUCT STANDARDS

APRIL 23, 2015

Mooresville-based Lowe’s Home Improvement is facing scrutiny about selling flooring containing potentially dangerous chemicals after rival Home Depot pledged to phase out the products by the end of the year. 

The decision from Home Depot, the world’s largest home-improvement chain, came Wednesday after the company said it worked with consumer groups who warned about vinyl flooring that contains chemicals called phthalates. 

The retailer is urging other suppliers to phase out their use of the chemicals, too, the New York Times reported.

A recent study from HealthyStuff.org, a research group affiliated with the Ecology Center, found that the majority of vinyl flooring tiles sold at major retailers, including Lowe’s, contain toxic phthalates, which are commonly found in flooring at levels exceeding U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission children’s product standards.

Researchers said the chemicals have been linked to asthma, birth defects, learning disabilities, reproductive problems, liver toxicity and cancer. 

“We call on Lowe’s and other major home improvement retailers to join Home Depot in phasing out phthalates in flooring,” Andy Igrejas, director of advocacy group Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, said in a statement.

Lowe’s, the second biggest home improvement retailer, said it’s continually assessing its inventory to make sure it offers the best possible products.

“We are reviewing the latest research regarding phthalates and are working with our suppliers to consider alternative materials,” Steve Salazar, corporate communications manager at Lowe’s, wrote in an email to the Observer.

Following pressure from environmental groups, Lowe’s also said recently that it plans to phase out products that contain certain chemicals that are shown to be harmful to bees. Over the past year, retailers including Home Depot and Whole Foods have taken similar steps.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/

BEAR REPELLENT CAUSES HAZMAT SITUATION, EVACUATION IN PIONEER SQUARE

Three people were evaluated for mild irritation of their eyes and lungs, but no one needed treatment.

APRIL 24, 2015 

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Bear repellent caused a hazmat response and the evacuation of a building in Pioneer Square Friday morning.

The incident occurred at a building at 77 Washington Square.

The building was evacuated after the spray was released in a bag in the basement of the building.

The building contains 102 units of transitional and permanent housing.

Three people were evaluated  for mild irritation of their eyes and lungs, but no one needed treatment.

Alaskan Way South is closed from Yesler Way to South Main Street. Drivers should use alternate routes and expect long delays.

BELLEVILLE BEES, THE COMPANY THAT LOST MILLIONS OF BEES IN I-5 CRASH, WILL NEED TO RENT HIVES

Beekeepers along with firefighters and WSDOT workers attempt to clear the freeway of bee hives that spilled off of a semi truck along northbound Interstate 5 on Friday, April 17, 2015 north of Seattle. The truck had just merged onto Interstate 5 around 3:30 a.m. Friday when it tipped on its side, dumping its load of 448 hives. The driver was not hurt, but the bees became more active as the sun rose and the weather warmed, and Seattle television stations reported that firefighters sprayed a layer of foam on some of the boxes, killing the bees for safety. (Mark Mulligan /The Herald via AP)

APRIL 21, 2015

BELLEVILLE, WASHINGTON

The company that lost millions of honey bees in a semi crash on Interstate 5 last Friday will have to "rent" more hives to fill orders from local farmers. 

But Belleville Bees in Burlington plans to have bees pollinating blueberry bushes and cabbage before the critical pollination period closes for farmers.  

They don't expect any customers will lose harvest as a result of the crash.  

The Washington State Patrol is still investigating the driver of the truck.   They have until Friday to issue a citation for the accident.

STATE FARM SUED FOR FRAUD BY MISSISSIPPI'S ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR KATRINA: MORE ALTERED ENGINEERING REPORTS ALLEGE. IS IRENE FLOOD CLAIM PROCESSING NEXT?

Superstorm Sandy litigation revealed altered engineering reports concerning damage to homes ravaged by the storm, and now allegations of altered engineering reports in other flood events are surfacing.

Mississippi’s Attorney General, Jim Hood, has filed suit on behalf of the state to hold State Farm’s feet to the fire for its part in maliciously denying Hurricane Katrina wind claims.
To understand the specifics of the allegations, it must be noted that the State of Mississippi had a Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) in place. HAP compensated qualified homeowners for losses that the insurance companies did not cover. However, the complaint alleges that State Farm delayed payments to policyholders so the HAP grants would cover the losses and State Farm could hold on to the homeowner policy funds as profits.
In the aftermath of Katrina, HAP and the State of Mississippi paid out $522 million just to State Farm’s customers. That breaks down to $76,673.59 per State Farm policyholder. But State Farm only paid out $98.7 million—or $14,494.62 per policyholder.
Regarding the altered engineering reports, Metropolitan Engineering Consulting and Forensics (MECF) has been posting about this fraud in Superstorm Sandy in our web pages and in our blogs.

Mississippi’s Attorney General alleged that similar altering was happening with Katrina when the engineers were determining what caused the loss and the damage to the home.
In the Mississippi lawsuit, the allegation is made that State Farm made efforts to downplay the wind damage and improperly classify the Katrina damage as a water event, and refuse to pay for damage citing the Tidal Surge exclusion.
The Chicago Tribune reported a response from State Farm that is not surprising:

State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said the Bloomington-based company is “still reviewing the lawsuit,” which "was not expected considering what we have done in resolving claims as a result of Hurricane Katrina.”

It sounds little bit like State Farm thought it was in clear and was finished responding to claims from Katrina. Did this company think it had gotten away with shorting its customers? Maybe State Farm didn’t realize there is no statute of limitations that applies to the State of Mississippi.
Jan Schaefer, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office stated:

We haven’t ruled out future lawsuit against those other insurers. We are filing this suit against State Farm because we now have the proven evidence of its fraud and because, as the nation’s largest property insurance company, its activities harmed Mississippi more than any other insurer.

The allegations in the complaint include fraud, negligence and breach of contract. A jury trial has been requested and the damages being sought include the repayment for the HAP payments issued that should have been payments from State Farm’s wind coverage, punitive damages, court costs, interest and attorneys’ fees.
We will follow this litigation and post updates as they become available.

We would like to point out that similar behavior we observed in the Irene flood claims processing in PA, NJ, NY, CT and elsewhere.