Robeson County Water Information

 

 

Information About the DuPont/Chemours Environmental Damages Agreement

 

OVERVIEW

On Sept. 9, 2026, the state of North Carolina and 11 local governments reached a combined $590 million settlement with DuPont and Chemours.  This is the largest environmental damages recovery in the state's history, and it came together after years of litigation and months oJ negotiations between the state, local governments, and their counsel.

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The 2019 consent order between Chemours and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) was about stopping Chemours from further PFAS pollution and providing dean drinking water to those families directly affected. This settlement holds Chemours and DuPont accountable for the damage they did over decades to North Carolina's air, water, and natural resources. 

 

In combination with the 2019 consent order, state and local governments have recovered nearly $2 billion in value to southeastern North Carolina and its residents.

 

The state first brought this case in October 2020. Arguments at the North Carolina Supreme Court were due to begin on Sept. 15, 2026 - nearly six years later. Continued litigation would mean years of additional legal arguments before any real resolution for the people of North Carolina. This agreement brings real relief over the next several years to southeastern NC, and it gives the state more tools to protect drinking water if Chemours breaks its word.

This deal is a vast improvement over the Environmental Protection Agency's deal with Chemours earlier this year, which promised only $90 million in environmental projects across three different states, with no guarantee of any of that money coming to North Carolina. The EPA and Chemours reached that deal without consulting the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, the Department of Environmental Quality, or the local governments affected by PFAS.

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