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DuPont $2.5B PFAS Deal with New Jersey marks a groundbreaking resolution to one of the state’s most bitter environmental battles, with the chemical giant agreeing to fund cleanup and abatement projects across multiple contaminated sites.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the record-breaking pact Monday after weeks of bench trials over toxic discharges at Chamber Works, a century-old facility in Salem County long linked to PFAS pollution. The $2.5 billion accord, Platkin said, is the largest environmental settlement ever reached by a single state.

Billions for Cleanup, Water Protection, and Restoration

Under the agreement, DuPont and its affiliates will pay $875 million in damages and abatement funds to New Jersey, with resources earmarked for drinking water treatment, environmental restoration, and remediation at four notorious sites:

• Chamber Works (Salem County)

• Pompton Lakes Works (Passaic County)

• Parlin site (Middlesex County)

• Repauno site (Gloucester County)

The companies also pledged to establish a $1.2 billion remediation fund and a $475 million reserve fund, ensuring taxpayers won’t be left covering the costs if any corporate entity defaults or collapses. Payments will be spread across 25 years.

State Officials Declare Victory Over Polluters

“When I became Attorney General in 2022, I vowed to hold corporate polluters accountable,” Platkin said. “This settlement protects drinking water, restores our natural resources, and ensures the companies responsible pay—not New Jersey taxpayers.”

Shawn M. LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, added that the settlement is “a monumental step forward in PFAS abatement” and a warning that “polluters who put profits before people will face consequences.”

Decades of Pollution, Years of Litigation

New Jersey first sued DuPont in 2019, alleging the company knowingly released over 1,200 toxic chemicals, including PCBs, pesticides, heavy metals, and PFAS—so-called “forever chemicals” that persist indefinitely in the environment.

DuPont has pushed back, arguing it has already spent decades cleaning up and that the state’s demands stretch beyond evidence. But federal courts rejected DuPont’s attempts to rely on a 2005 consent order to limit liability.

This latest settlement comes after a separate $450 million PFAS settlement with 3M earlier this year, underscoring New Jersey’s aggressive stance on holding industrial polluters accountable.

A Legacy of Contamination, A Path Forward

Once the pride of American chemical manufacturing, Chamber Works is now a symbol of toxic legacy and legal reckoning. By locking in the $2.5 billion deal, New Jersey secures funds for clean drinking water, ecosystem restoration, and long-term remediation.

The case was overseen by U.S. District Judge, with the state represented by teams from the Attorney General’s Office, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, the Law Offices of John K. Dema PC, and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. DuPont entities were defended by McCarter & English LLP and Hollingsworth LLP, while Chemours retained counsel at Norris McLaughlin PA.

For now, the state has delivered a message as clear as it is costly: the era of unchecked pollution in the Garden State is over.