EPA reverses decision to allow Chemours to import GenX waste from the Netherlands to NC

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reversed its approval Wednesday for Chemours to import foreign waste material containing the chemical GenX to its Fayetteville facility, after backlash from members of the community and elected officials.

GenX is a chemical in the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or "forever chemicals," which some studies have linked to adverse health risks.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wrote a letter to EPA administrator Michael Regan on Nov. 3 urging the agency to rescind it's original approval.

“It’s good that the EPA reversed this decision and I’m grateful for their quick response," Cooper said in a statement Wednesday. “We have been working for years in North Carolina to force the cleanup of forever chemicals to help ensure clean water, and companies like Chemours have made this effort more difficult.”

Controversy over the decision began when a September letter from the EPA became public last month, documenting the agency's consent for Chemours to import up to 4.4 million pounds of waste containing GenX from a facility in the Netherlands to the Fayetteville Works facility.

UN group calls out Chemours for violating human rights, polluting the planet & lying about the danger of PFAS

Chemours said the company intended to recycle the GenX.

Originally reported by Bloomberg News and later confirmed by Chemours, only 45% of the wastewater is recovered at Fayetteville Works while another 55% is incinerated.

“I am glad the EPA reversed its decision to allow wastewater with GenX to be sent to a facility in Fayetteville," U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, said in a statement. "It is vital all North Carolinians have access to safe water, and I’ll continue my work to address the risks posed by emerging PFAS contaminants, just like we did with the historic clean water investment in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

Tillis previously sent a letter with U.S. Reps. David Rouzer and Richard Hudson to Regan outlining concern with the shipment.

The reversal comes less than a week after the UN published letters of allegation to Dupont, Chemours and Corteva, saying the companies violated international human rights law with harms caused by PFAS pollution.

In 2017, researchers discovered Chemours and parent company Dupont had dumped forever chemicals including GenX into the Cape Fear River, a drinking water supply for 1.5 million people. Tens of thousands of wells surrounding the plant have also been contaminated.

Chemours issued a statement Wednesday that said recycling the PFAS waste was more environmentally friendly than manufacturing larger quantities of new chemicals.

"We identified and acknowledged a calculation error in the application to the Dutch ILT that we proactively disclosed to U.S. regulators," the company said.

Its statement also highlighted pollution control measures recently added to the site. The company invested in technology to stop its air, ground, and water PFAS emissions after it was legally required to do so under a 2019 court order.

WRAL News has covered the contamination in the documentary "Forever Chemicals: North Carolina's Toxic Tap Water."

WRAL Documentary: 'Forever Chemicals: North Carolina's Toxic Tap Water'