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

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 $22.5m 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. …