3M to Pay New Jersey Up to $450 Million for Drinking-Water Contamination
3M is set to pay New Jersey up to $450 million over the next quarter-century to settle claims it contaminated the state with harmful 'forever chemicals,' or PFAS, affecting drinking water.
The Minnesota-based chemicals giant manufactured the PFAS, which were used for decades at the Chambers Works facility in Deepwater, N.J., a nearly 1,500-acre complex on the banks of the Delaware River. The site was owned by DuPont, a rival company.
It is the largest single clean-water settlement in New Jersey's history, the state said. New Jersey sued 3M, DuPont and other PFAS manufacturers in 2019, saying the facility had contaminated drinking water.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is used in a range of everyday products like nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and stain-resistant carpets. Exposure to the chemicals has been linked to metabolic disorders, decreased fertility in women and developmental delays in children, as well as increased risk of some prostate, kidney and testicular cancers.
Under the settlement announced Tuesday, 3M will pay New Jersey between $400 million to $450 million over 25 years to pay for damages, as well as cleanup and drinking water treatment.
DuPont and its chemical spinoff Chemours, which now owns the Chambers Works facility, were not part of the settlement, New Jersey said. The remaining parties are expected to proceed to trial in the case. DuPont declined to comment.
'Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state's water supply,' New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement. '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,' he said. 'That ends now.'
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chambers Works facility once manufactured gunpowder as well as radiological material, and contributed to the development of the atomic bomb. It more recently manufactured a variety of chemicals, including PFAS.
Shawn M. LaTourette, New Jersey's Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said contamination in the state went well beyond drinking water. 'We find PFAS everywhere in the state of New Jersey, leeching from landfills, and even in the soils of distant remote New Jersey forests that should be pristine,' he said.
New Jersey is the second known state to settle with 3M over PFAS drinking water contamination claims. In 2018, 3M agreed to pay Minnesota $850 million for contaminating drinking water and natural resources in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
In 2023, 3M also reached a nationwide settlement with public water suppliers for up to $12.5 billion to address PFAS contamination in drinking water.
3M said the agreement was an 'important step toward reducing risk and uncertainty' around historical PFAS contamination. The company said in 2000 that it was voluntarily phasing out the production of two major types of PFAS, and it has said it is on track to discontinue all PFAS manufacturing by 2025.
The company said the settlement did not amount to an admission of guilt. It is taking a pretax charge of $285 million in the second quarter.
The E.P.A. had been expected to indicate this week whether it intends to stick to strict PFAS drinking water standards set by the Biden administration last year, which would require water utilities to all but remove six different types of PFAS from their water supply.
Chemical companies and utilities sued the agency over the move. The Trump administration had been due to say on Monday whether it would continue to defend the standards in court. Instead, it asked for a 21-day extension to decide on its planned course of action.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Small Business Toolkit: Advice On Taxes, Business Structure, Funding And More
New and threatened tariffs. Expiring tax breaks. Tighter lending rules at the Small Business Administration (SBA). Small business owners face lots of challenges and uncertainty these days. But then, starting and running a small business has always been tough. And yet, small businesses remain the mainstay of the U.S. economy, creating jobs, millionaires, and in some cases, big companies and billionaires. Diane Hendricks, #1 on Forbes' new list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with a net worth of $22.5 billion, started a roofing supply business with her late husband, Ken, in Wisconsin in 1982. Under her watch, ABC Supply, which she owns and has chaired since Ken's death in 2007, has grown to more than 900 branch locations and $20 billion in sales. Peter Cancro started making sandwiches at a Jersey Shore sandwich shop in 1971 at the age of 14, bought out the owner before his high school graduation, and built Jersey Mike's into a chain with more than 3,000 locations, before finally selling a majority stake this year to private equity firm Blackstone. He's now worth $4.9 billion. Today, the U.S. has more than 33 million small businesses, employing nearly 62 million Americans, some 46% of private sector employees. According to the SBA, from 1995 to 2021, small businesses created 17.3 million net new jobs, accounting for 63% of the net jobs created during this period. Underlying that impressive net job growth number, however, are millions of small business births and closures. About one in five of all small businesses fail in their first year and one in two succumb in the first five years. This new Forbes Small Business Toolkit aims to help you beat the odds, with information on choosing the right entity, assembling your professional team, filing and paying taxes on time, managing small business loans, and more. Despite the drama in Washington, some of these business basics won't change. But some will change–so we intend to keep the Toolkit updated, with developments business owners are likely too busy to track on their own. Small businesses have faced greater-than-normal challenges in recent months as they struggle to navigate President Trump's tariffs and tax proposals. The threat of tariffs (and tariffs already imposed) have already resulted in higher expenses and supply chain disruptions for some small businesses. And more are likely coming. Since tariffs are paid for by U.S. companies that import goods and materials, many small businesses will have to pay more for what they buy, yet may not be able to pass along the full cost increases to customers. The most recent National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index shows retailers, in particular, have had their enthusiasm curbed by tariffs. The Republican tax bill, as passed last month by the House, included some wins for small businesses. It restored expensing and made the existing Section 199A deduction for small businesses that pass through their profits to the owner's tax return (S corps, partnerships and the self-employed) permanent and more generous. But those hoping that a business-friendly Senate might push even further by lowering corporate tax rates, too, likely won't get their wish. The cost of the bill (and how it increases the federal deficit and debt) may mean we'll see less, not more, tax relief for businesses, as it makes its way through the Senate and the reconciliation process. Adding to the uncertainty, interest rates and other costs remain high, making borrowing tricky at a time when assistance from federal agencies like the SBA has been reduced (the agency has announced plans to reduce its workforce by 43%) and loan guarantee rules tightened. Reduced staffing at the IRS (the agency expects to lose at least 20,000 employees) means there are fewer representatives available to answer the phones and help resolve tax disputes—some of those tax issues, like liens, can paralyze a small business if not resolved in a timely manner. There are some bright spots. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department walked back most of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), limiting its scope to foreign companies. Before the revision, an estimated 32.6 million companies were potentially subject to reporting requirements, with significant penalties for noncompliance. The administration has also signaled that more regulatory rollback is coming, though businesses aren't yet sure what that might look like. With so much uncertainty—and more changes on the way—we suggest bookmarking this Toolkit and checking back for our updates.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
A. Michael Smith Joins Peapack Private Bank & Trust as SVP, Chief Audit Executive
BEDMINSTER, NJ - June 5, 2025 ( NEWMEDIAWIRE ) - Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: PGC) and Peapack Private Bank & Trust are pleased to announce the appointment of A. Michael Smith as Senior Vice President, Chief Audit Executive. In this role, he will lead the Bank's internal audit function and develop strategic initiatives to support its continued growth. A. Michael has over 30 years of experience in auditing, risk management, and technology, with a proven track record of driving innovation and excellence in financial services. Most recently, Smith served as Chief Audit Executive at Nasdaq, where he built a world-class internal audit function and leveraged advanced technologies to manage high-volume transactions across global markets. Prior to that, he was a Partner at PwC, where he led internal audit transformation initiatives through emerging technologies and innovation. His extensive career also includes senior leadership roles at several large financial institutions, and he was also a partner at Deloitte & Touche. Throughout his career, Smith has demonstrated a commitment to elevating internal audit functions to best-in-class standards. A. Michael is the author of Internal Audit of the Future: The Impact of Technology Innovation, a book that explores how technology is reshaping the audit landscape. He also holds a U.S. patent for a novel approach to auditing crypto assets. He is a graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). About the Company Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation is a New Jersey bank holding company with total assets of $7.1 billion and assets under management and/or administration of $11.8 billion as of March 31, 2025. Founded in 1921, Peapack Private Bank & Trust is a commercial bank that offers a client-centric approach to banking, providing high-quality products along with customized and innovative wealth management, investment banking, commercial and personal banking solutions. The Bank's wealth management division offers comprehensive financial, tax, fiduciary and investment advice and solutions to individuals, families, privately held businesses, family offices and not-for-profit organizations, which help them to establish, maintain and expand their legacy. Peapack Private Bank & Trust offers an unparalleled commitment to client service. Visit for more information. Contact: Denise Pace-Sanders, Peapack Private Bank & Trust, SVP Managing Principal, Brand and Marketing Director, 500 Hills Drive, Suite 300, Bedminster, NJ 07921, [email protected], (908) 470-3322 View the original release on
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Walmart's cake decorators stir up some rivalry with their affordable creations
NEW YORK — Inside a Walmart store in New Jersey, a worker puts the finishing touches on a cake with an edible ink Sponge Bob on top. A colleague creates a buttercream rosette border for a different cake, while another co-worker frosts a tier of what will be a triple-deck dessert.
