Tagged: Law and Justice

The question of whether a smelter in British Columbia can be held liable in Washington state for cross border pollution is now in the hands of a federal judge. Lawyers argued the case in Yakima Wednesday. At issue is refining waste dumped in the Columbia River just north of the border in Canada, which then washed downstream. Correspondent Tom Banse reports from Yakima.

Wednesday, a federal judge in Yakima will consider a long-running case about cross border pollution in the Columbia River. The Colville Tribes and the state of Washington are trying to force cleanup of heavy metals dumped in the river for nearly a hundred years by a Canadian smelter.

The Washington State Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the state's toxic cleanup tax. A ruling issued Thursday turns aside a challenge from gas station owners.

The U.S. Justice Department will intervene in a timesheet fraud case at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The case began in 2009 as a whistleblower complaint against Hanford contractor CH2M Hill. Since then, eight former workers have pleaded guilty to falsifying their time cards.

The Washington Supreme Court Thursday weighed in on long-running case that has implications for labor shortages at Northwest farms and orchards. The high court unanimously upheld a costly damage award against a farm labor contractor that brought in guest workers from Thailand.