EPA rescinds approval for import of GenX waste from Netherlands Chemours facility
RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its approval for imports of waste material containing GenX from a Chemours facility in the Netherlands to the Chemours Fayetteville Works Plant in North Carolina.
The EPA notified Governor Cooper by letter Wednesday of the decision.
“It’s good that the EPA reversed this decision and I’m grateful for their quick response,” said Governor Cooper. “We have been working for years in North Carolina to force the cleanup of forever chemicals to help ensure clean water, and companies like Chemours have made this effort more difficult.”
EPA indicated that information provided to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality led to their decision.
On November 1st, DEQ sent Chemours detailed questions about the potential imports to better understand how the additional material could impact the environment. In a November 13th response, Chemours indicated that there were errors in the export volume requested and that the plant was not capable of processing the amount of waste containing GenX as listed on the original approval.
“This development is a significant victory for the environmental health and safety of New Hanover County and the Cape Fear River. We commend the EPA and NCDEQ for their diligent efforts and collaboration in making this critical decision, reflecting our shared commitment to protect our community,” a New Hanover County spokesperson said.
DEQ says they continue to hold Chemours accountable for addressing the impacts to residents in at least eight counties and providing alternate water supplies for affected private well owners.
Chemours issued the following statement:
“We identified and acknowledged a calculation error in the applications to the Dutch ILT that we proactively disclosed to US regulators. The amount being imported is in fact far below the levels approved by EPA in the original permit. We regret that misinformation about HFPO-DA recycling has dominated the media landscape and raised unnecessary alarm. We are working to correct the information and will continue engage with authorities on the path forward.”
