US says chemical maker Chemours to pay $450M to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The 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 $22.5 million to alleged violations and spend $90 million 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 contamination controls to and surface aquatic environments discharges and atmosphere releases at a West Virginia facility at an estimated cost of $60 million, supply clean potable aquatic environments to communities near its West Virginia and New Jersey sites at an estimated cost of $280 million; and implement controls to minimize 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 $450 million, the Justice Department said.

The settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS to commercial and military applications while preventing future contamination and protecting communities from existing contamination, said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant Attorney General to the ecological stability and Natural Resources Division.

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