Chemical companies reach $455m settlement with North Carolina over ‘forever chemicals’ claims

Chemours, DuPont and Corteva on Thursday reached a $455m settlement with ⁠North Carolina and 11 local entities over Pfas contamination claims tied to ⁠Chemours’ Fayetteville Works ⁠plant and ​other historical discharges.Lawsuits accusing major chemical companies of polluting U.S. drinking water ⁠with toxic Pfas chemicals – a group of pollutants referred to as “forever chemicals” – have led ⁠to settlements worth billions of dollars, including one struck ​by the three companies ‌in New Jersey ‌last year.Payments will be made over 15 ‌years, beginning within 30 days of the agreement’s execution, and Chemours expects to pay about $50m over the next 12 months, Chemours said on Thursday.In line with a 2021 agreement among ‌the companies, Chemours will bear 50% of the settlement cost, while DuPont and Corteva will ​split the remainder.The North Carolina agreement resolves lawsuits brought by the state and local governments excluded from the US public water system class settlement ⁠approved in 2024.It also covers North Carolina’s ​claims ​over Pfas contamination unrelated to ​Fayetteville Works, including pollution linked to aqueous ​film-forming foam.Chemours said ​the ​settlement recognizes progress under its 2019 consent order with North Carolina, including investments to cut Pfas emissions and address off-site impacts.