Attorney General Jeff Jackson Asks North Carolinians to Share Feedback on EPA-Chemours Backroom PFAS Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809

RALEIGH — Attorney General Jeff Jackson is encouraging North Carolinians to share their thoughts on the proposed PFAS deal between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Chemours. Attorney General Jackson denounced the deal, which would do almost nothing to address the damage Chemours has done in North Carolina. The federal government is accepting comments on the proposed deal until July 29.  

“This deal was negotiated behind closed doors without anyone from North Carolina at the table, and it guarantees our state nothing,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “The EPA is going to hear from my office. We think they should also hear from the people who actually drink this water.”

For decades, Chemours and its predecessor, DuPont, have been emitting GenX and other PFAS into the air and discharging the chemicals into the Cape Fear River, which provides drinking water for 500,000 residents of eastern North Carolina.

Here’s how to share your comments:

• Address your email or letter to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division
• In the Subject line, include the words: The Chemours Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90–5–1–1–12112. This helps make sure your comments get to the right team at USDOJ.
• Email your comments to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov or mail a letter to:
  Assistant Attorney General
  U.S. DOJ—ENRD
  P.O. Box 7611
  Washington, DC 20044–7611

This information is available online at www.ncdoj.gov/pfascomment/.

The federal government may publicly file any submitted comments with the West Virginia federal court that will consider whether to approve the proposed deal.

The proposed deal purports to settle PFAS contamination claims from Chemours’ North Carolina, New Jersey, and West Virginia facilities – but the deal guarantees nothing for North Carolina and was reached without consulting the North Carolina Department of Justice or the Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).

Chemours would pay up to $90 million over 15 years to fund water cleanup and clean drinking water projects. It would get to propose the projects it funds, without input from North Carolina or its residents. Additionally, Chemours is not obligated to spend any of the money in North Carolina. Even if it did split the money evenly between the three states, that would only leave $2 million annually to address water pollution in North Carolina.

PFAS contamination poses serious health risks. These forever chemicals don’t degrade but instead accumulate in the body through water, soil, and air contamination. PFAS exposure has been linked to cancer, liver damage, and birth defects.

North Carolina officials have long been fighting to hold Chemours accountable for the contamination. In 2019, NCDEQ reached a settlement with Chemours requiring the company to pay civil penalties, control PFAS air emissions, provide filtration systems to residents with contaminated drinking water wells, reduce PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear River, and address all sources of chemical contamination at the facility to prevent further harm. Additionally, Attorney General Jackson is litigating a case against DuPont, Chemours, and affiliated corporate entities to ensure the state is compensated for the damage the companies’ North Carolina facility has done to its natural resources. Attorney General Jackson is also litigating six other cases against 14 companies, including Chemours and DuPont, that manufacture AFFF, a fire suppressant that contains PFAS and has contaminated several military bases, airports, and fire training facilities around the state.

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