Chemours has reached a preliminary $450 million settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection regarding the release of PFAs.
The agreement is being hailed as the first comprehensive federal settlement with a major PFAs manufacturer.
The EPA claims Chemours released PFAs into the Ohio River from its Washington Works facility in Wood County as well as into the Cape Fear River (Fayetteville Works in North Carolina) and the Delaware River (Chamber Works in New Jersey). In some cases, it was done without required permits, according to the EPA, and in other cases in violation of those permits.
The settlement holds Chemours responsible and resolve the company’s liability under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act.
“As attorney general, my office investigated Chemours and took crucial steps needed to reach this settlement and position the state to reach justice for West Virginians,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said. “We will continue to ensure that every company complies with our laws.
“This settlement is an encouraging first step, but it addresses only one piece of a much larger issue. We remain actively engaged in discussions to reach a comprehensive resolution for the Washington Works facility that protects our citizens and ensures West Virginia’s communities have confidence that these issues are being addressed for the long term. We look forward to continuing those discussions and achieving an outcome that serves the best interests of the Mountain State.”
Chemours will pay a $22.5 million civil penalty to the USEPA and the WVDEP and will conduct a multi-year $90 million program to mitigate PFAs discharges. It also will install PFAs pollution controls for surface water discharges at its Washington Works facility, supply clean drinking water to communities that surround its facilities in West Virginia and New Jersey and evaluate options and implement corresponding controls to reduce releases of PFAS and other toxic chemicals from its facility in North Carolina.
Chemours says it already has begun planning and implementing operational improvements and remedial measures at its facilities.