Don't let Chemours off the hook: Say NO to weak deal to clean up PFAS

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a deal with Chemours Co. that it claims will force the company to clean up toxic chemicals it dumped in the Cape Fear River and make amends to North Carolinians whose drinking water it poisoned for decades.

But the deal does nothing of the kind. Speak up now to demand that Chemours face tangible, meaningful penalties for dumping "forever chemicals" in our water!

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection recently announced a proposed consent agreement with Chemours related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS) pollution from its facilities in North Carolina, New Jersey, and West Virginia.

But North Carolina officials weren't included in the negotiations, even though communities along the Cape Fear River from Fayetteville to Wilmington have been victimized for decades. N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson called the deal "an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina," adding, "It does practically nothing for the state."

An analysis by the Southern Environmental Law Center finds that the DOJ simply wrapped multiple claims of PFAS contamination into a single deal, telling Chemours to monitor itself and abandoning any future ability to hold the company to account.

We need strong penalties for PFAS polluters and accountability that includes meaningful cleanup and restitution for people whose life-sustaining drinking water has been poisoned.

The proposed consent decree is NOT a done deal. It's open for public comment until July 29. Speak up TODAY to demand accountability and rejection of this meaningless agreement!

20230624-3 Lower Cape Fear shore-MLillard 1000sq.jpg

Lower Cape Fear River just upstream of Wilmington

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Consent Decree for The Chemours Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90–5–1–1–12112

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The proposed Consent Decree for The Chemours Company (D.J. Ref. No. 90–5–1–1–12112, between Chemours Co. and the State of West Virginia) is woefully insufficient and must be renegotiated to include meaningful financial liabilities for Chemours and specific, measurable mediation and protections for impacted communities.

This agreement covers toxic discharges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution from Chemours facilities in North Carolina and New Jersey, in addition to West Virginia. However, North Carolina's state leadership had no voice in reaching this deal, and have bluntly described it as "an insult" to the North Carolina communities who have been affected by Chemours' decades-long pollution of their drinking water sources. I agree.

I'm appalled that this company is being let off the hook for its long history of PFAS discharges in our state, and its resistance to taking meaningful steps to clean up its pollution and make restitution to downstream water users. The State of North Carolina is still pursuing resolution of these issues in court, and this consent decree should not serve as a blanket dismissal of those arguments that have yet to be fully heard.

In addition to being recklessly exposed to known carcinogens, North Carolinians have been left to their own devices to pay for safe, bottled water and to finance the clean-up of tainted drinking water from the Cape Fear River and wells fed by groundwater that absorbed PFAS discharged by Chemours' Fayetteville Works facility.

Chemours must be held fully accountable for the harm it has done to our North Carolina communities, and we deserve a full voice in any agreement reached between the company and regulatory officials.

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