North Carolina has reached a landmark agreement with major chemical companies to address decades of PFAS pollution. The state has secured a total of $590 million from Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva, marking the largest state recovery for environmental damage in North Carolina history.
This settlement resolves lawsuits over PFAS and other historical releases from the Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen County, as well as separate state claims involving PFAS-containing firefighting foam used across North Carolina. The agreement aims to provide much-needed resources for cleanup and drinking water protection in affected communities.
The Settlement Breakdown
The settlement includes $455 million in payments to the state and 11 affected local entities over the next 10 to 15 years. Most of the $380 million will go to communities significantly impacted by pollution from Fayetteville Works. The remaining $75 million will be allocated to the state, with about $55 million going to North Carolina’s Emerging Contaminant Mitigation Fund to help local governments detect and reduce contaminants in drinking water.
The 11 local entities receiving money include Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, New Hanover, Robeson, and Sampson counties; Lumberton, Wrightsville Beach, and Bald Head Island; and the Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority. These entities were excluded from a separate $1.2 billion national settlement with public water providers approved in.
Protecting Future Cleanup Efforts
In addition to the direct settlement payments, DuPont and Corteva will place $135 million in a reserve that North Carolina can access if Chemours becomes unable to continue work required under a consent order. This reserve is designed to keep drinking water and cleanup programs operating even if Chemours goes bankrupt or can no longer afford them.
State officials have raised concerns about Chemours’ long-term financial stability. Attorney General Jeff Jackson emphasized that the reserve is crucial for ensuring that cleanup efforts and drinking water protection continue uninterrupted. Chemours has already spent nearly $1.2 billion complying with the consent order and projects spending another $320 million according to the company’s public filings.
Community Impact and Future Projects
In Cumberland County, officials stated that the settlement will provide additional resources for projects bringing public water to communities with contaminated wells. Construction is already underway on the first phase of the Gray’s Creek water system a $30 million project funded with existing county, state, and federal money. Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere said the county expects water lines to reach about 200 homes by the end of.
DeViere acknowledged that the settlement is just the beginning. “It’s not just going to happen overnight,” he said. “We’re not standing up here today to say everything’s solved, and we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” The settlement could help the county continue expanding public water access in Gray’s Creek and other contaminated areas.
The settlement preserves the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s authority to enforce the consent order and take Chemours back to court if the company violates it. DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson emphasized the importance of preventing PFAS pollution before it reaches water or air, stating that this is the most effective and least expensive way to protect public health.
Wilson noted that the DEQ does not have the authority to establish numeric limits on PFAS discharged by industrial facilities. That rulemaking authority belongs to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission. Wilson called on the commission or the General Assembly to give regulators stronger tools to stop contamination at its source.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a group of synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and can build up in people. Exposure to some PFAS has been associated with certain cancers, immune system effects, reproductive harm, and other health concerns. For decades, Fayetteville Works released PFAS into the Cape Fear River and surrounding groundwater, soil, and air. The river provides drinking water to more than 500,000 people downstream.
North Carolina sued Chemours, DuPont, and related companies in, seeking compensation for damage to the state’s drinking water and other natural resources. The agreement is separate from a $450 million federal settlement announced in June involving Chemours facilities in North Carolina, West Virginia, and New Jersey. Jackson, Wilson, and Gov. Josh Stein criticized that agreement because it guarantees no specific amount for North Carolina.
An ongoing Cape Fear Public Utility Authority lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont is not affected by the new settlement. That case seeks additional cleanup money for Wilmington and parts of New Hanover County. Jackson is also pursuing six cases against companies that manufactured PFAS-containing firefighting foam used at military bases, airports, and fire-training facilities across North Carolina.
Chemours stated that the agreement recognizes the pollution reductions and other work completed under the consent order while establishing a process for completing its remaining obligations.
