RALEIGH NC — Governor Josh Stein is challenging a proposed federal settlement with chemical manufacturer Chemours, arguing the deal does little to help North Carolinians who have endured years of PFAS contamination in their drinking water. Stein, Attorney General Jeff Jackson, and Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson submitted a joint comment letter Thursday urging the Environmental Protection Agency to reject the agreement unless it provides meaningful relief for the state.
The EPA’s proposed settlement would resolve federal claims of PFAS pollution in three states, including North Carolina. But the deal includes no monetary commitments for North Carolina and offers no improvements beyond the sweeping consent order the state secured nearly a decade ago. Stein said the proposal allows Chemours to sidestep responsibility while residents continue to face the impacts of “forever chemicals” discharged from the company’s Fayetteville Works plant.
“For decades, Chemours knowingly contaminated North Carolina’s air and water by discharging PFAS from its Fayetteville plant into the Cape Fear River,” Stein said. “Now, Chemours is cutting a settlement deal with the federal government that does next to nothing for North Carolinians… Now is the time for the EPA and the state Supreme Court to do right by our people and our water and truly hold Chemours accountable.”
In a separate filing, Governor Stein and NCDEQ submitted an amicus brief in Jackson v. E.I. Du Pont de Nemours, supporting the Attorney General’s authority to pursue Chemours and related companies for damages to natural resources, fraud, and fraudulent transfers. A trial court denied Chemours’ attempt to dismiss the Attorney General’s lawsuit in August 2025.
North Carolina has taken multiple actions against PFAS manufacturers. As Attorney General, Stein sued more than a dozen companies for contaminating sites across the state. In 2023, he urged the U.S. Senate to strengthen PFAS protections in the National Defense Authorization Act.
The state budget Stein signed last month includes $45 million for a new Emerging Contaminants Mitigation Fund to prevent, test for, and treat PFAS and other chemicals, and $10 million for DEQ’s Bernard Allen Emergency Drinking Water Fund to support private well testing and alternative water supplies.
Governor Stein said the goal remains clear: ensuring clean air and water for all North Carolinians and holding polluters accountable.
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