New Jersey officials announced a landmark settlement of up to $450 million w
ith 3M Company to resolve the state’s lawsuits and address damage to the state
’s water and other natural resources from dangerous chemicals.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Department of Envir
onmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette called the settle
ment the largest in the state’s history concerning chemicals known as PFA
S (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) or “forever chemicals.”
The $450 million wou
ld be paid over 10 years and resolve 3M’s liability in the state’s lawsuits regarding the Chambers Works site (located in Pennsville an
d Carneys Point) and Parlin site (located in Sayreville), and the DEP’s statewide PFAS directive, all initiated in 2019. The settlement wil
l also resolve the state’s claims against 3M in the statewide litigation regar
ding PFAS in the firefighting material known as aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).
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By settling, 3M will not stand trial in the Chambers Works case, currentl
y scheduled for May 19, 2025, against DuPont, Chemours, and related defendants in U.S. District Court.
According to Platkin, this is one of the first statewide settlements that 3M has entered for PFAS liability in the country. The Chambers
Works trial will be the first trial brought by a state for PFAS contamination against any defendant
The 3M settlement is subject to public comment and court approval.
“Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state’s water supply. For decades, 3M knew that their P
FAS chemicals were forever contaminating the New Jersey environment. But they continued to pollute the environment and escape accountability. That ends now,” said Platkin.