New Jersey has secured a historic settlement with 3M, announced on Tuesday, requiring the company to pay up to $450 million to address statewide contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals.”
The agreement, led by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, resolved 2019 lawsuits and a statewide directive targeting 3M’s role in PFAS pollution.
It marks the largest PFAS settlement in New Jersey’s history.
“Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state’s water supply,” Platkin said in the announcement. “For decades, 3M knew that their PFAS chemicals were forever contaminating the New Jersey environment. But they continued to pollute the environment and escape accountability. That ends now.
“New Jersey has some of the highest levels of PFAS in the country. That’s why New Jersey has been leading the national charge against corporate polluters who contaminate our drinking water and harm our state’s communities.
“Today’s settlement marks the latest chapter in our office’s efforts to combat PFAS contamination and protect access to clean water. We look forward to pursuing everyone else who had a role in contaminating New Jersey with PFAS, and we will see many of them at trial on Monday.”
PFAS are synthetic chemicals manufactured since the 1940s, used in products like nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and firefighting foam. Known as “forever chemicals” because they resist degradation, PFAS persist in the environment and human body.
The EPA noted, they may cause health issues, including kidney, liver, and testicular cancers; autoimmune disorders; and developmental problems in children.
“The makers of PFAS forever chemicals knew how poisonous these substances were, yet they produced and thoughtlessly released them into New Jersey’s environment anyway,” LaTourette said. “This historic settlement marks another step toward holding polluters accountable for dangerous PFAS contamination that has wrought havoc on our water supplies, injured our natural resources, and threatened the public health.
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“The damages we recover from 3M will help fund New Jersey’s nation-leading PFAS abatement efforts, improve drinking water quality in Salem County and statewide, and restore injured natural resources. The Department of Environmental Protection and our Attorney General will continue to hold all PFAS polluters accountable when and wherever they leave behind a toxic mess.
“The people of New Jersey should never be forced to clean up after them.”
The settlement focuses on contamination from 3M’s operations, particularly at the 1,455-acre Chambers Works site in Pennsville and Carneys Point in Salem County, previously owned by DuPont. 3M also supplied PFAS-containing firefighting foam used at military bases, fire academies, and local departments.
In the first year, 3M will pay $43.45 million for natural resource damages at Chambers Works and $16.55 million for PFAS abatement, including drinking water treatment.
An additional $40 million covers fees, costs, and punitive damages.
From 2035 to 2050, 3M will pay $125 million for statewide PFAS NRD and abatement, subject to offsets if local governments assert claims.
These funds will support cleanup and water quality improvements.
“Under the terms of the settlement, 3M is released from liability stemming from its sale, marketing, distribution, use, or manufacture of PFAS in New Jersey,” the Tuesday announcement noted. “The company is required to continue investigating and remediating PFAS contamination at its former facilities in New Jersey where PFAS contamination has been identified.”
Any private lawsuits against 3M are still active.
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