In the largest environmental damages recovery in NC history, state officials and local leaders announced a historic $590 million settlement with The Chemours Company and its affiliates on Thursday, Sept. 10. Standing at the construction site of the Gray’s Creek Water Project, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere joined State Attorney General Jeff Jackson to unveil the sweeping agreement. The resolution directly addresses years of toxic PFAS (“forever chemicals”) contamination originating from the Fayetteville Works facility, which has compromised private drinking wells and regional waterways for over a decade.
Under the terms of the landmark deal, Chemours, DuPont de Nemours Inc. and Corteva Inc. will pay $455 million over the next 15 years, with payments beginning immediately this year. A significant $380 million slice of that funding will be divided directly among 11 heavily impacted local governments, including Cumberland, Bladen and New Hanover counties, to aggressively scale up municipal water infrastructure, extend safe public water pipelines and alleviate the burden on families living with contaminated taps. The state of North Carolina will receive the remaining $75 million, dedicating a vast portion to the Emerging Contaminant Mitigation Fund to bolster ongoing statewide detection and cleanup efforts.
Crucially, the settlement features an unprecedented $135 million bankruptcy insurance reserve funded by DuPont and Corteva. This financial safeguard guarantees that even if Chemours faces long-term financial insolvency or bankruptcy, the mandatory environmental cleanup, groundwater barrier walls and private well filtration programs required under the region’s 2019 consent order will remain fully funded…