International Environmental Law and PolicyNews

Transboundary Pollution
2000 Developments

12/13/00	Spanish smelting plant in Algeciras became subject to legal action brought by officials in Turin, Italy for the "dangerous disposal of materials" caused by a 1998 leak of radioactive material
12/13/00	New U.S.-Canadian joint study on cross border air pollution reveals effectiveness of programs aimed at major contributors to acid rain, citing a reduction of rainfall acidity in the eastern U.S.
10/04/00	Pollution in the Arctic found to be caused by the long range transport of dioxin from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico
08/29/00	International agreement recently adopted to develop uniform regulations on motor vehicle emissions
03/16/00	Illegal burning of plantations and forests in Indonesia cause rapid spreading of forest fires, pushing pollution to hazardous levels
03/16/00	Australian mining company, Esmeralda Exploration, prepares for bankruptcy in response to possible litigation over a cyanide spill at the Baia Mare mine of which Esmeralda is a 50 percent partner
03/11/00	Broken dam causes toxic waste from Romania's Baia Borsa mine to spill into a tributary of the Tisza River, affecting both Hungary and Romania
02/17/00	Switzerland will urge inclusion of civil liability rules in pan-European water laws in response to Romania's Baia Mare cyanide spill
02/11/00	EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström announces a new policy paper on a law providing for a strict liability regime for environmental damage that will not harm business competitivenes
02/10/00	A spill from an Australian-Romanian gold processor's facility, which may have occurred January 30, created an environmental disaster in Romania and Hungary
02/02/00	Environment Commissioner Wallström hosted an Internet chat on February 3 for European citizens to discuss environment concerns