RALEIGH, N.C. (WHKY) – North Carolina officials have reached a historic $590 million settlement with DuPont and Chemours to address widespread PFAS (“forever chemical”) contamination linked to the Fayetteville Works facility. The agreement marks the largest environmental damages recovery in state history.

Key Terms of the Settlement:

• Direct Funding: $455 million will be paid over 10 to 15 years to the state ($75 million) and 11 local government entities ($380 million), including Bladen, Cumberland, Brunswick, and New Hanover counties.
• State Mitigation: Approximately $55 million of the state’s share goes directly to the newly established Emerging Contaminant Mitigation Fund to assist local governments in detecting and filtering toxic chemicals.
• Guaranteed Cleanup Reserve: A $135 million reserve fund—funded by DuPont and Corteva—ensures Chemours’ long-term obligations to provide clean drinking water and well-filtration systems to over 10,000 local families remain funded, even if Chemours faces future financial instability.
• Reinforced Enforcement: North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) retains full authority to enforce its landmark 2019 Consent Order, under which Chemours has already spent $1.2 billion on control technologies, barrier walls, and well testing.

State leaders praised the deal as a major step toward accountability after decades of chemical dumping into the Cape Fear River watershed, which serves as the primary drinking source for over 500,000 residents. The agreement significantly surpasses a controversial federal EPA proposal announced earlier this year, ensuring settlement dollars directly benefit North Carolina communities.

Litigation against other PFAS manufacturers and fire-foam producers remains ongoing.

[Information courtesy of North Carolina Department of Justice]