Chemours reaches $450 million PFAS settlement

Chemours will pay and spend at least $450 million to settle federal and state allegations that its plants illegally released PFAS “forever chemicals” into major U.S. waterways for more than a decade, the Justice Department said.

The agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, is the first federal enforcement settlement against a manufacturer of PFAS, a class of synthetic chemicals used to make products resist water, grease, heat and stains. Chemours, based in Wilmington, Delaware, is a spinoff of DuPont and makes PFAS for commercial, industrial and military uses.

Under the multi-state settlement, Chemours will pay a $22.5 million civil penalty for alleged violations and spend $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges in West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey. The company also agreed to install controls for PFAS pollution in surface water discharges and air emissions at its Washington Works facility in West Virginia, estimated at $60 million, and to provide clean drinking water to communities near its West Virginia and New Jersey sites, at an estimated cost of $280 million.

Chemours also must implement controls to reduce releases of PFAS and other toxic chemicals from its North Carolina facility, based on a pending independent assessment. The federal consent decree calls for 14 specific treatment systems to reduce PFAS in wastewater, stormwater and groundwater from the West Virginia plant. Chemours will test drinking water near the West Virginia and New Jersey sites and provide treated or alternative clean water.

Federal and state officials alleged that Chemours facilities discharged PFAS into the Ohio River, Cape Fear River and Delaware River in violation of Clean Water Act permits and state laws. The Guardian reported that officials also said Chemours violated federal Toxic Substances Control Act requirements at all three facilities. The Justice Department said the violations continued for more than a decade.

“This first comprehensive federal settlement against a major PFAS manufacturer delivers on the Trump Administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop PFAS contamination at the source,” Jeffrey A. Hall, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a statement. Hall said the agreement could reduce PFAS contamination of “water, land and air” and begin to mitigate past harm.

Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, said the settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS for commercial and military applications while preventing future contamination and addressing existing pollution. “The Trump administration recognizes the important role of Chemours for it commercial and military obligations,” Gustafson said. “The settlement protects public health while preserving that important balance.”

Chemours said Wednesday that it had already begun planning and making operational improvements at its facilities. “This settlement provides Chemours with greater clarity on future compliance requirements and actions to support long-term responsible manufacturing,” spokesperson Jess Loizeaux said.

PFAS have been linked in studies to serious health effects, including certain cancers, liver and kidney damage, developmental problems, immune system disorders, cardiovascular disease and low birth weight. The chemicals are found in a wide range of products, including nonstick cookware, and are persistent in the environment.

A federal judge in 2025 ordered Chemours to stop discharging unlawful levels of toxic chemicals, including PFAS, into the Ohio River from the Washington Works plant. DuPont, Chemours and Corteva also agreed last year to pay New Jersey up to $2 billion to settle PFAS-related environmental claims; officials said the new federal settlement does not affect that state case or resolve DuPont’s liability for past PFAS violations.

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson criticized the settlement as “an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina,” saying his state is “ground zero for GenX contamination, but this deal does practically nothing to clean up our water.” GenX is a trade name for a synthetic chemical developed as an alternative to PFAS that has raised health and environmental concerns. “Chemours made this mess, and Chemours should clean it up,” Jackson said.