Trump administration settles water pollution case with ‘forever chemicals’ company for $450M

The federal government has settled a water pollution case against Chemours, which makes and uses toxic “forever chemicals.”

The Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency and state of West Virginia announced on Wednesday that Chemours would pay an estimated $450 million over pollution at its facilities in West Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey.

The federal government alleged that Chemours illegally released chemicals into waterways near its three facilities, impacting “the drinking water of tens of thousands of people” who live nearby.

Chemours spun off from chemical company DuPont a decade ago as lawsuits over then-DuPont’s “forever chemicals,” also called PFAS, began to pile up. It took on the chemical giant’s PFAS business.

PFAS is the name of a family of man-made chemicals that have nonstick and waterproof applications. Exposure to these substances has been linked to health issues including cancer, immune system problems and fertility issues.

They’re sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they can linger in the environment for hundreds of years. They have become a major public health issue.

Under the agreement announced this week, Chemours will have to pay a $22.5 million civil penalty and set up a $90 million program to mitigate its releases of PFAS.

It will also install pollution controls for water and air pollution in West Virginia, estimated to cost about $60 million, and supply clean drinking water for communities in West Virginia and New Jersey — estimated to cost $280 million. A press release said the settlement would “evaluate options and implement corresponding controls” for pollution in North Carolina.

Chemours will be allowed to keep making PFAS for “critical commercial and military applications.”

“This landmark settlement shows the Administration’s commitment to protecting the public from harmful pollution,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, in a written statement.

“Through this commitment, Chemours will better control PFAS at its plants, allowing the company to continue its manufacturing operations while protecting communities in North Carolina, West Virginia, and New Jersey from PFAS exposure,” he added.

While PFAS has long been scrutinized by left-wing environmental advocates, right-wing Make America Healthy Again activists are also highly critical of the chemicals.

The matter has caught typically corporate-friendly Republicans between two constituencies.

Recently, the EPA proposed some delays for Biden-era drinking water protections from the chemicals, which have become pervasive in tap water across the country.

Chemours, in a written statement, said that the settlement gives it “greater clarity on future compliance requirements and actions to support long-term responsible manufacturing.”

Trump administration settles water pollution case with ‘forever chemicals’ company for $450M

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