⚗️ PFAS Regulation Hub

Chemours, together with DuPont and Corteva, announced on 10 September 2026 a settlement with the State of North Carolina and 11 local entities near the Fayetteville Works facility. The entities had been excluded from the US public water system class settlement approved in 2024. The settlement resolves litigation over past PFAS and other discharges from Fayetteville Works, as well as the State's claims of PFAS contamination unrelated to that site, including from the use of AFFF. Payments total $455 million over 15 years, of which $18 million is attributed to alleged PFAS contamination unrelated to Fayetteville Works. Under the January 2021 memorandum of understanding (MOU), Chemours bears 50% and DuPont and Corteva the remaining 50%. Chemours' share is approximately $180 million on a net present value basis and is covered by existing accruals, according to the company. Chemours expects to pay about $50 million over the next twelve months. The settlement is subject to entry of dismissals of the covered litigation and is not yet final. It also acknowledges progress made under the 2019 Consent Order with the State.

On 18 August 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2024 rule designating PFOA and PFOS as "hazardous substances" under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as the Superfund law). Industry groups including the US Chamber of Commerce had challenged the designation, but the court fully upheld EPA's scientific judgement and its authority to make the designation. The significance of the ruling lies not in introducing a new ban on PFAS use, but in settling the framework for corporate liability: who investigates and cleans up past PFAS contamination, and who bears the cost. The CERCLA designation triggers reporting obligations for releases above a certain quantity as well as cost-recovery and enforcement powers, but the designation itself does not automatically create cleanup obligations at every site; decisions are made case by case. EPA has also set out an enforcement discretion policy focusing on manufacturers that contributed significantly to contamination, while in principle excluding water utilities, farmers and others. For companies, PFAS management expands beyond identifying substances currently in use and switching to alternatives, to life-cycle risk management that also covers past use and disposal history, potential liability and future investigation and cleanup costs.

Community and environmental groups have filed a lawsuit challenging New York State's environmental permitting process for the large-scale semiconductor manufacturing site that Micron Technology is building in Clay, New York. At issue are the air emission and wastewater permits required to build and operate the plant, and the environmental review on which they are based. The plaintiffs argue that the permits were granted without sufficient environmental review of plant wastewater that may contain PFAS used in semiconductor manufacturing, and of greenhouse gas emissions. Micron's New York project is a major investment that will significantly expand advanced memory manufacturing capacity in the United States, and one of the flagship projects symbolising the strengthening of domestic chip production under the CHIPS policy. Building a large semiconductor fab requires not only securing manufacturing equipment and materials, but also developing environmental infrastructure at the same time, including ultrapure water supply, industrial water, management of chemicals including PFAS, wastewater treatment, air emissions control, power supply and waste treatment. Delays in environmental permitting and litigation risk directly affect fab construction schedules and additional capital expenditure. This creates new market opportunities and risks not only for chipmakers, but also for companies across the supply chain, including manufacturing equipment, chemical materials, water treatment, wastewater treatment, and analysis and monitoring.