A proposed settlement resolving Chemours Co.'s illegal "forever chemicals" discharges in three states leaves North Carolinians who have been exposed for decades to the company's toxic waste – and continue to be exposed – out in the cold, the N.C. Sierra Club said today.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced a multi-state settlement with Chemours over its operations in North Carolina, West Virginia and New Jersey, calling for the company to pay $22.5 million for violations and spend $90 million to control future discharges and remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water in the three states.
The settlement is not yet final and will be opened to a 30-day public comment period, which has not yet been scheduled.
The deal holds little practical relief for North Carolinians who live downstream from the company's Fayetteville Works plant, where PFAS spewed into the Cape Fear River have tainted drinking water supplies drawn not only from the river, but from wells that rely on contaminated groundwater.
"This is a terrible deal for North Carolinians victimized by Chemours' callous disregard for their well-being and the environment as a whole," said Erin Carey, deputy director of the N.C. Sierra Club and a resident of Wilmington, which draws its drinking water from the Cape Fear River.
"This order fails to support communities harmed by Chemours' illegal discharges, with no consideration of the real and measurable impacts to public health, property values, or quality of life caused by Chemours’ willful violation of the public trust," she said.
N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson likewise called the settlement "an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina," and noted that the state had not been consulted on it. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality reached a consent decree with the company in 2019 to clean up PFAS contamination.
Carey noted that the federal agreement could allow Chemours' proposed expansion of the Fayetteville Works plant to proceed despite significant community opposition. Last August, Chemours filed a revised permit application with state regulators seeking permission to increase production of PFAS compounds at the facility.
"Chemours has yet to effectively clean up its existing mess, and wants to create even more hazards for our communities," Carey said. "We'll continue to oppose its expansion, and we'll speak up to oppose this weak federal settlement as well."