Chemours to Pay $450 Million in Federal PFAS Settlement

The U.S. Justice Department has reached a $450 million settlement with chemical manufacturer Chemours over the company's release of harmful "forever chemicals" into waterways in North Carolina, West Virginia, and New Jersey. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, marks the first comprehensive federal enforcement action against a major PFAS manufacturer.

Under the settlement, which requires court approval, Chemours will pay a $22.5 million civil penalty and spend an estimated $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges. The company also agreed to provide clean drinking water to communities near its facilities in West Virginia and New Jersey at an estimated cost of $280 million. For its Fayetteville Works plant in North Carolina, Chemours will implement further pollution controls based on an independent analysis. The company must prevent the release of the PFAS compound GenX at a minimum 99% efficiency rate across all four facilities covered by the order.

Federal officials alleged that Chemours facilities discharged PFAS into the Ohio River, the Cape Fear River, and the Delaware River for more than a decade, violating the Clean Water Act and state laws....