politics
U.S. reaches $450 million settlement with Chemours over PFAS discharges while allowing continued manufacturing
The Trump administration reached a settlement with Chemours Co. requiring a $22.5 million penalty and at least $427.5 million in mitigation measures. The agreement covers illegal releases at facilities in West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey.
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The Trump administration reached a multi-state settlement with Chemours Co. on June 24, 2026, requiring the company to pay a $22.5 million civil penalty and spend at least $427.5 million on pollution controls and clean-water measures after years of illegal PFAS discharges.
The agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, covers three Chemours facilities that released the chemicals into the Ohio River, Cape Fear River and Delaware River in violation of Clean Water Act permits and state laws.
The violations continued for more than a decade at sites previously owned by DuPont, Chemours' former parent. Chemours will spend $90 million over 15 years on mitigation across the three states. It will install controls for surface-water and air emissions at its West Virginia plant at an estimated cost of $60 million and supply clean drinking water to nearby communities in West Virginia and New Jersey at an estimated cost of $280 million.
The company will also implement controls at its North Carolina facility based on a pending independent assessment. Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, said the settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS for commercial and military uses while addressing contamination.
Jeffrey Hall, assistant EPA administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, said the agreement brings the company into compliance and holds it accountable.
Chemours spokeswoman Jess Loizeaux said the company has already begun operational improvements and that the settlement provides clarity on future compliance requirements. The settlement does not resolve DuPont's separate liability for past violations. In 2025, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed to pay New Jersey up to $2 billion to settle state environmental claims.
A federal judge in August 2025 ordered Chemours to stop unlawful discharges from its Washington Works plant in West Virginia. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called the settlement an insult to residents of eastern North Carolina and said it does practically nothing to clean up water in the state, which he described as ground zero for GenX contamination.
