These are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.
- Since the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is up for renewal on September 30, Congress has been considering reforms in the EB-5 visa process. One proposed bill would expand the program, adding a new category of visa called EB-6.
- Canadian scientists believe that earthquakes in western Alberta and parts of British Columbia have been caused by nearby fracking operations—not just wastewater injection, but the fracking process itself. We’ve written about fracking-induced seismicity before.
- How much is a company’s intellectual property worth? While intellectual property is recognized as a value driver, it is seldom adequately addressed in corporate financial analysis.
- After getting no response to their complaints regarding contaminated water in their homes, West Monroe, Louisiana residents have filed a class action lawsuit against two local water companies with assistance from Erin Brockovich.
Monroe Street Dam on the Spokane River
- The City of Spokane, Washington has sued Monsanto over decades of contamination of the Spokane River from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used in a number of Monsanto’s products.
- North Carolina’s recent Coal Ash Management Act included a moratorium on reusing coal ash in smaller construction projects to give regulators time to develop new standards to reduce the public’s exposure to potentially toxic chemicals; however, the moratorium ended on August 1 with no new regulations on the books.
- Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts sent a letter asking President Obama to issue a presidential permit for TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline, despite the fact that two lawsuits filed by Nebraska landowners remain unresolved. Trial is set for October 19.
- Tennessee homeowners around Boone Lake are concerned that low lake levels could negatively affect the value of their homes, particularly after the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced that it will be at least 5 years before Boone Dam repairs are complete and the lake returns to normal levels.
- Rapidly increasing housing prices in Melbourne and Sydney have driven Australia’s housing market to a value of more than $6 trillion despite sluggish gains elsewhere.
- Topsoil contaminated with asbestos was accidentally dumped just yards from Stonehenge, requiring a week of overnight cleanup sessions.
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