The settlement is a result of companies releasing harmful chemicals into the environment.
The First State is getting $25 million from a newly settled lawsuit in Ohio that triggered a contingency payment to Delaware.
Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reached a $110 million settlement in Ohio over “forever chemicals,” which refer to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from the facilities of those companies.
The substances, known as PFAS, have negative environmental impacts. They do not break down in the environment, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources, and can build up in fish and wildlife.
Dozens of companies have faced thousands of lawsuits in recent years due to alleged PFAS contamination.
In 2021, Delaware settled with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, The Chemours Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. and Corteva, Inc.
The settlement was for $50 million, which went towards environmental restoration, improvement, sampling and analysis, community environmental justice and equity grants and other natural resource needs.
Part of the 2021 settlement stated that the companies will fund up to an additional $25 million if they settle similar claims with other states for more than $50 million.
“We are thrilled that our forward-thinking settlement with Dupont and others is now $25 million more valuable to the State of Delaware,” said Kathy Jennings, Delaware’s attorney general. “That’s 50% more to restore our natural resources, to support public health initiatives in impacted communities, and to keep our neighbors healthy.”
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz
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