The Trump administration has reached a multi-state settlement with Chemours over illegal PFAS discharges, marking the first time the federal government has settled with a manufacturer of these 'forever chemicals.' The agreement requires Chemours to pay an estimated $450 million in penalties and relief programs, including $22.5 million in civil penalties and $90 million over 15 years to reduce contamination in West Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey. The company will also spend $60 million on pollution-control systems at its West Virginia facility and $280 million to provide clean drinking water protection near its locations in West Virginia and New Jersey, while reducing PFAS releases in North Carolina pending an independent assessment. North Carolina's attorney general Jeff Jackson blasted the deal as a 'backroom deal' that does practically nothing to clean up the state's water, calling it 'an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina.' The settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS for commercial and military applications but aims to prevent further contamination.
Chemours CoChemours must pay $450M in penalties and remediation costs for PFAS discharges, with states criticizing the deal.