NCGA, State & Federal Regulators Must Stop Toxic Discharges at the Source
A $590 million deal that obliges Chemours to repair damages caused by the company's toxic "forever chemicals" discharges is a laudable step toward protecting North Carolina communities – but much more must be done by state and federal leaders, the N.C. Sierra Club said today.
For decades, Chemours has dumped toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the Cape Fear River from its Fayetteville Works facility in Cumberland County, endangering communities along the watershed to its mouth at Wilmington.
The agreement between the state, 11 local governments, and DuPont and Chemours is the largest total environmental damages recovery in the state’s history, according to today's announcement from Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Reid Wilson, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
"We're grateful to Gov. Josh Stein, Attorney General Jackson and Secretary Wilson for the dogged leadership they've shown in holding Chemours accountable – tangibly and forcefully – for the harm they've caused to our communities and our people," said Erin Carey, deputy director of the N.C. Sierra Club. “And while accountability for those who have willfully harmed North Carolinians is critical, ensuring that our drinking water is safe from toxic industry discharge is the essential next step. As a state, we can prevent the next chemical crisis by passing meaningful, enforceable, health-based regulations that prevent these toxins from ever entering state waters in the first place.”
PFAS have been high on state and federal government to-do lists this year, but not in a good way. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which in 2024 passed its first regulations to set nationwide limits on two of the most widely used PFAS, announced plans this spring to rescind those rules. Months later, federal officials announced a multi-state settlement with Chemours that included North Carolina – but no North Carolina leaders were involved in the negotiations.
On the state level, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission took comments this spring on weak, industry-influended "minimization" rules for PFAS and 1,4 dioxane emissions; the rules haven't yet been implemented. The N.C. General Assembly saw several bills filed to address PFAS contamination, but took no action on any of them.
“Governor Stein, Attorney General Jackson and Secretary Wilson have shown the leadership we need to protect North Carolinians' health and safety. Now our state legislators and regulators need to do the same," Carey said.
"We'll make sure that voters in the upcoming mid-term elections know who took meaningful action to protect their drinking water, and who looked the other way while communities suffered. With our endorsements, voters will know which candidates we believe can replace those who did nothing and who will instead help build a stronger, healthier North Carolina."
About the N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with tens of thousands of members and supporters in North Carolina, among millions nationwide. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds to explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.