After years of concern over PFAS-contaminated water, North Carolinians are being asked to weigh in on a proposed federal settlement that state officials say does not do enough to protect them.
At the center of the dispute is an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Chemours that could help determine how — or even whether — affected communities receive meaningful cleanup support.
What's happening?
Jeff Jackson, North Carolina's attorney general, is encouraging residents to file public comments on an EPA-Chemours agreement he has described as a "backroom PFAS deal," according to NC Newsline.
In 2017, scientists said GenX and other PFAS, often called "forever chemicals" because they persist in the environment, were being released from a plant near Fayetteville on the Cape Fear River.
The facility is operated by Chemours, formerly part of DuPont, which has manufactured chemicals there for years, and similar releases were also tied to facilities in West Virginia and New Jersey.
Those contamination claims later led more than 2,600 plaintiffs to sue Chemours over alleged pollution affecting drinking water wells, air, soil, and groundwater. If the proposed settlement between the EPA and Chemours is approved in federal court, those plaintiffs would no longer get to pursue their case there.
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Last month, the EPA and Chemours announced a proposed settlement worth $450 million.
Jackson condemned the way the agreement was negotiated, saying, "This deal was negotiated behind closed doors without anyone from North Carolina at the table, and it guarantees our state nothing."
Why does it matter?
Families living near PFAS contamination have said the chemicals have caused fear, frustration, and financial harm, including worries about declining property values and damage to their ability to fully use and enjoy their homes.
According to Jackson's office, the proposed agreement would give Chemours substantial influence over where cleanup money is spent. Much of the $450 million is earmarked for replacement water supplies and mitigation efforts outside North Carolina, while Chemours would contribute up to $90 million over 15 years for water cleanup and drinking water projects.
Jackson's office said, "[Chemours] would get to propose the projects it funds, without input from North Carolina or its residents."
What can I do?
The deadline to submit a public comment on the proposed settlement is July 29.
Comments should be sent to the Justice Department's Assistant Attorney General for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division. If you send a comment by email or letter, include this exact subject line: "The Chemours Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-1-12112."
Mail comments to the Environmental and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice, Post Office Box 7611, Washington, D.C., 20044-7611.
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