For nearly a decade, families along the Cape Fear River have been drinking water contaminated with GenX and other PFAS chemicals from Chemours' plant near Fayetteville. These aren't abstract pollutants — they've been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and developmental problems in children. North Carolina communities lived with this for years before scientists even discovered it in 2017. And now, after all that, a $450 million federal settlement with Chemours was reached without North Carolina at the table. Families here bore the harm. Someone else is dividing the money.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson is asking residents to weigh in before a federal court approves this deal, which means there's still a window to push back. But that window won't stay open. Our state lawmakers need to act now — publicly backing AG Jackson's effort, demanding that North Carolina's interests are protected before any court approval, and making clear that Chemours cannot walk away from our communities with a sweetheart deal that bypasses the people who actually drank that water. Taxpayers have already paid for monitoring, filtering, and studying this contamination. Ratepayers are still paying for it. We deserve compensation, not an afterthought.
I'm asking you to formally support North Carolina's intervention in this settlement process and stand with the communities along the Cape Fear who have waited long enough for accountability.
