PFAS
EPA withdraws consent for Chemours to export GenX from Netherlands to Fayetteville
This is a developing story and will be updated. The EPA has withdrawn its conditional consent for Chemours to export wastewater shipments containing GenX from its Dordrecht Works facility in the Netherlands to its Fayetteville, N.C., facility, the agency announced Wednesday afternoon. In its application to the EPA, Chemours had overstated the amount of imported […]
UN panel alleges Chemours is violating human rights of North Carolinians with toxic PFAS
DuPont and two of its spinoff companies, Chemours and Corteva, allegedly violated the human rights of hundreds of thousands of people living in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin, routinely discharging toxic PFAS into the region’s drinking water supplies, a United Nations panel announced this past weekend. “DuPont and Chemours facilities have significantly contributed to […]
Weekend reads: The value of a degree, Chancellor eyes future, voter rolls look different and more
New study looks at “return on investment” of a UNC System education By Joe Killian Politically controversial, the study seeks to demonstrate the monetary value of higher education A controversial report on the “return on investment” of a UNC System education is on its way to the North Carolina General Assembly, which required the system […]
Homes near Sampson County landfill on bottled water after PFAS detections
Sampson County residents who want the state to sample their drinking water well can call 919-707-8200. Six households in Snow Hill, a predominantly Black community in Sampson County, are receiving bottled water from the state after sampling showed their drinking water wells contained elevated levels of toxic PFAS. While five of these homes are near […]
EPA reexamining importation of harmful chemical wastewater to North Carolina
This is a developing story and has been updated to include comments from Gov. Roy Cooper. The federal EPA is reviewing its previous authorization of imports of GenX wastewater from the Netherlands to Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant in North Carolina, according to an EPA official. That authorization was first reported by NC Newsline. “In response […]
EPA explains why it authorized imports of GenX from Netherlands to NC
Oct. 30, 5:19 p.m.: This story has been updated with comments from Chemours. Newsline originally contacted the long-time spokesperson and received no response. That spokesperson retired earlier this month. The EPA had no legal authority to block exports of GenX wastewater from the Netherlands to North Carolina, the agency said this week, because of an […]
DEQ sampling drinking water wells near Sampson County landfill for PFAS
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is sampling private wells near the Sampson County landfill to assess potential PFAS contamination in the drinking water, a DEQ spokesperson has confirmed. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration announced it is awarding $1 million to the state health department to address private well contamination throughout Sampson County. Residents whose wells […]
EPA okays Chemours request to export GenX from the Netherlands to Fayetteville Works plant
The Chemours Fayetteville Works plant can import up to 4 million pounds of GenX from the company’s Netherlands facility over the next year, according to an EPA letter authorizing the shipments — 220 times the amount exported in 2014. The GenX will originate at the Chemours plant in Dordrecht. The facility could export as many […]
More NC utilities are detecting PFAS in drinking water, but some aren’t telling their customers
Nearly a dozen public water systems in North Carolina, including four that had never previously reported PFAS in their drinking water, have detected levels of the toxic compound above the EPA’s proposed maximum contaminant level. And there is no state or federal requirement that these public water systems inform their customers of the results, leaving […]
State budget includes money for PFAS, higher fees for electric cars, DEQ bonuses for speed
More than $55 million is included in the state budget to address PFAS contamination in drinking water, but given the vast scope of the problem in North Carolina, the money won’t go that far. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority in Wilmington would receive $35 million: Roughly half is allocated for public water extensions to private […]
Burlington will curb PFAS discharges, per legal settlement with Haw River Assembly
Levels of toxic PFAS in Burlington’s wastewater have decreased more than 6,000% over the past three years and are expected to decline further, the result of a settlement agreement between the City and the Haw River Assembly finalized this week. The agreement requires Burlington ensure its current and future industrial sources control PFAS discharges before […]
Weekend reads: A conservative push to remake NC schools, budget stalls, and PFAS river worries
1. As UNC-Chapel Hill announces free tuition, political appointees raise questions, push back Campus Board of Trustees and UNC System Board of Governors weren’t informed, members said By Joe Killian When UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced last week the university would begin providing free tuition and required fees for students whose families make less […]