With the largest environmental damage payment in the history of North Carolina, our state will finally receive a settlement from Chemours for the contamination of our natural resources with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced that Chemours will pay the State and 11 entities including Cumberland, Bladen and Robeson Counties and the City of Lumberton $455 million over 15 years for releasing harmful chemicals into the air, water and land of the Cape Fear River Basin.

The State will receive $75 million, and the counties will share $380 million to end their lawsuits against the company.

The settlement is a bittersweet victory for the people of North Carolina and for the researchers and advocates who have been entrenched in the fight against forever chemicals for over a decade.

Our industries could have quelled this disaster if they traded a pound of cure for an ounce of prevention. But here we are. Over 500,000 of our state’s most vulnerable residents have been consuming contaminated water that can cause a myriad of health concerns including suppressed immune responses, hormone disruptions and cancers. They have faced increasing health care and home maintenance costs, and they have experienced lower property values. Yet the dischargers — who are valued at billions of dollars — often bemoan the costs of chemical remediation. Even AG Jackson stated that Chemours was at risk of bankruptcy during litigation in this matter.

To that, we say: if you can’t afford to clean up your mess, don’t make one in the first place.

The settlement is a step in the right direction.

But much of the issue remains unresolved.

North Carolina still has no quantitative statewide regulations regarding PFAS discharge limits, mitigation procedures or punitive measures that hold polluters accountable for their contamination. Even the meager federal regulations that were passed in 2024 are in danger of rescission. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said, “the most effective and cost-efficient way to protect people is to prevent the pollution at the source.” We agree. Source prevention regulations are CRITICAL to the future of our water quality and the future of our health – not only in the Sandhills but in the United States. So when will our great state pass these regulations? Not soon enough.

To add insult to injury, Chemours has applied for a permit that would increase its production of PFAS at its Fayetteville works facility. That permit cannot happen.

And the question remains: how will the municipalities use the settlement funds to benefit the residents whose lives have been forever altered by forever chemicals? Small communities such as Gray’s Creek and Cedar Creek have beared the health and financial burdens of this crisis. Can they ever expect any restitution?

Sustainable Sandhills and our partners across the nation have been tirelessly advocating for stronger water quality protections at local, state and federal levels. We are grateful that our efforts resulted in a win. We clearly have more advocating to do, though, and rest assured, we will continue to fight because no one can place a price on a cleaner, healthier North Carolina.

FURTHER READING

Chemours to Pay $455 Million for Fayetteville Works Contamination (CityViewNC)

North Carolina Secures $455 Million PFAS Settlement (WRAL)

Statement from NC DEQ