Brazil’s industrial polluters rarely are ordered to conduct offsite cleanups, but a federal judge has bucked tradition and ruled that the country’s largest steelmaker must carry out restoration of the Paraíba do Sul, a major river in Rio de Janeiro state where it dumped toxic waste for years. Typically, companies accused of toxic discharges in Brazil negotiate deals with government authorities under which they agree to treat their effluent—leaving the issue of off-site environmental damage unaddressed. So when Adriana Rizzotto, a Rio de Janeiro state federal judge, ruled on June 29 that the National Steel Company, known as CSN, “must pay an indemnity, to be fixed at an opportune time, to restore the ecosystem affected by its industrial activities,” the decision caused a... [Log in to read more]