The Trump administration has reached a multi-state settlement with chemical giant Chemours Co. over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as PFAS.
Settlement Details
Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5 million for alleged violations and spend $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges in three states: West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey.
Chemours, a spin-off of chemical maker DuPont, also agreed to install PFAS pollution controls for surface water discharges and air emissions at a West Virginia facility at an estimated cost of $60 million, supply clean drinking water to communities near its West Virginia and New Jersey sites at an estimated cost of $280 million; and implement controls to reduce releases of PFAS and other toxic chemicals from its facility in North Carolina, based on a pending independent assessment.
Public Health Impact
The settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS for commercial and military applications while preventing future contamination and protecting communities from existing pollution, said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The Justice Department said the combined penalties and relief programs are estimated to cost at least $450 million.
The settlement comes as the Trump administration is expected to propose softening Biden-era limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water, while delaying but keeping tough standards for two common types of the substance.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
