US says chemical giant Chemours to pay $450m to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case

The Chemours Co's PPA facility at the Fayetteville Works plant in North Carolina. Photograph: Gerry Broome/APView image in fullscreenThe Chemours Co's PPA facility at the Fayetteville Works plant in North Carolina. Photograph: Gerry Broome/APUS says chemical giant Chemours to pay $450m to settle ‘forever chemicals’ caseAgreement is first by federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a major Pfas manufacturerThe Trump administration on Wednesday 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.Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5m for alleged violations and spend $90m 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 and surface water discharges and air emissions at a West Virginia facility at an estimated cost of $60m, supply clean drinking water to communities near its West Virginia and New Jersey sites at an estimated cost of $280m; and implement controls to reduce releases of Pfas and other toxic chemicals from its facility in North Carolina, based on a pending independent assessment.Combined, the penalties and relief programs are estimated to cost at least $450m, the justice department said.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 Trump administration recognizes the important role of Chemours for it commercial and military obligations,’’ Gustafson said. “The settlement protects public health while preserving that important balance.”The settlement against a major Pfas manufacturer “delivers on the Trump administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop Pfas contamination at the source”, said Jeffrey Hall, assistant EPA administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.

The agreement will greatly reduce Pfas contamination of water, land and air and even begin to mitigate past harm, Hall said. “This settlement brings Chemours into compliance with the law and holds it fully accountable,” he said.In a statement on Wednesday, Chemours said it had already begun planning and implementing operational improvements at its facilities and would take steps to mitigate future emissions and enhance existing programs.

“This settlement provides Chemours with greater clarity on future compliance requirements and actions to support long-term responsible manufacturing,’’ spokesperso Jess Loizeaux said.The settlement comes as the Trump administration was 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.The proposal will start the formal process of rolling back parts of the first-ever limits on Pfas in drinking water finalized during Biden’s administration.

Officials at the time found they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.The agency is committed to addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) in drinking water while following the law and ensuring that regulatory compliance is achievable for drinking water systems, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said.The settlement determined that facilities Chemours operates in the three states have discharged Pfas into the Ohio River, Cape Fear River and Delaware River, respectively, in violation of permits required by the Clean Water Act and state laws.

Chemours also violated legal requirements under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act at all three facilities.As a result of the alleged violations, people living near the facilities were exposed to illegal Pfas, officials said. Pfas are widely used and found around the world, with scientific studies showing that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.

The violations continued for over a decade, the justice department said. The facilities were previously owned for many decades by DuPont. The settlement announced Wednesday does not resolve DuPont’s liability for past Pfas violations, officials said.

A federal judge last year ordered Chemours to stop discharging unlawful levels of cancer-causing chemicals into the Ohio River from the company’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia. The pollutants endanger the environment, aquatic life and human health, US district judge Joseph Goodwin wrote i