A federal judge has granted final approval to two settlements totaling about $2.5 billion with DuPont-related entities and 3M to address long-standing contamination from the manufacturing and discharge of PFAS and other pollutants at sites in New Jersey.
The settlements were announced Friday by Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and Department of Environmental Protection acting Commissioner Ed Potosnack, ending the state’s years’-long litigation against E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Co. (which is now known as EIDP Inc.) and other DuPont-related entities, as well as separate litigation against 3M.
The settlement with the DuPont entities, valued at over $2 billion, is the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single state, Davenport said. Together, the settlements resolving the claims against the DuPont entities and 3M are valued at approximately $2.5 billion and will be paid annually over a period of 25 years.
The four polluted DuPont industrial sites in the case include Chambers Works in Pennsville and Carneys Point, the Parlin site in Sayreville, the Repauno site in Greenwich, and Pompton Lakes Works in Pompton Lakes.
The settlement also resolves statewide litigation regarding firefighting material, primarily manufactured by 3M, known as aqueous film-foaming form (AFFF) that contained PFAS.
The proposed settlements with 3M and the DuPont entities, respectively, were announced in mid-2025. Consistent with New Jersey’s Spill Act, DEP published notices of both proposed settlements in the New Jersey Register and on DEP’s website. After 60 days of public comment, DEP carefully considered and responded to all comments before seeking judicial approval.
The state moved for judicial approval of the settlements in late 2025. Since then, the state has resolved objections raised by 18 counties and a coalition of publicly owned wastewater treatment plants, further solidifying broad support for the settlements.
“This is truly a historic moment for New Jersey, which has experienced disproportionate and extensive pollution impacts from decades of PFAS manufacturing and use by DuPont and 3M,” DEP acting Commissioner Potosnak said in a statement.
“But this is only the beginning of what will be a long road to restore our environment from the unfortunate legacy of these chemicals,” Potosnak said. “The DEP and the Sherrill administration are committed to engaging the public and our stakeholders to maximize the public health and environmental protection benefits of these funds to heal New Jersey.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been manufactured in the U.S. since the 1940s, are found in hundreds of consumer and commercial products, including cosmetics, non-stick pans and stain-resistant clothing. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down over time, continuing to accumulate in the environment and in humans.
They are classified as likely carcinogens, with studies having shown that exposure to the chemicals may cause kidney, liver, and testicular cancer, as well as autoimmune and endocrine disorders in adults. PFAS have also been linked to developmental issues affecting fetuses during pregnancy and infants who breastfeed.
The DuPont entities in the case include EIDP, Inc.; the Chemours Company and The Chemours Company FC, LLC, both of which DuPont spun off in 2015; DuPont Specialty Products USA, LLC; Corteva Inc.; and DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
The settlement was approved by U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Camden.
