The basics:

• Federal court approves NJ $2.5B PFAS settlements with DuPont, 3M
• DuPont entities must fully remediate 4 contaminated industrial sites
• Up to $795M will fund PFAS abatement, water quality projects
• Up to $365M will support natural resource restoration

A year after unveiling the landmark environmental settlements, the state says a federal court has cleared two agreements to resolve PFAS contamination and other pollutants at multiple New Jersey sites.

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak announced the approval Aug. 7. The deals resolve claims in years-long litigation against E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. (now EIDP Inc.) and other DuPont-related entities, along with separate litigation against 3M.

The record-making moves will help remedy long-standing contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or forever chemicals, at four industrial properties here. Valued at more than $2 billion, New Jersey characterized the DuPont settlement as the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single state. Together with the 3M figures, the deal represent approximately $2.5 billion in value.

The long and winding road

Calling the moment historic, Potosnak said the work is just starting.

“[T]his is only the beginning of what will be a long road to restore our environment from the unfortunate legacy of these chemicals,” he stated. “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.”

Davenport promised her office would continue to hold corporations accountable if they cause harm to local communities. “Today’s landmark settlement cements New Jersey’s national leadership in the fight against forever chemicals and is a critical first step in undoing the damage DuPont and 3M have caused to our state,” she said.

Former Attorney General Matthew Platkin and then-NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette revealed the action under the previous, Murphy administration last August. A 60-day public comment period commenced in September 2025. After, NJDEP said it considered and responded to all comments before seeking judicial approval.

NJ PFAS settlement breakdown

Since making that move last year, the state says it has fostered broader support for the plan.

Officials said throughout the process they resolved objections made by 18 counties and a coalition of publicly owned wastewater treatment plants.

The agreement addresses PFAS at the Chambers Works site in Salem County. It also resolves lawsuits regarding claims for the firefighting material known as aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) along with DuPont and its related entities’ responsibilities under a 2019 New Jersey PFAS directive.

The DuPont entities include EIDP Inc.; the Chemours Co. and The Chemours Co. FC LLC, both of which DuPont spun off in 2015; DuPont Specialty Products USA LLC; Corteva Inc.; and DuPont de Nemours Inc. They and 3M will make the total settlement payments annually over 25 years, NJDEP said.

PFAS Abatement Fund

Dedicated trust accounts will hold up to $795 million in payments for PFAS abatement. NJDEP says it will disburse PFAS Abatement Damages proceeds through two primary means.

The New Jersey Water Bank will provide loans via the PFAS Abatement Fund to finance water quality projects. Financing options will include no-interest, low-interest, and/or principal forgiveness. NJDEP said a minimum of $150 million from the fund will help assist publicly-owned treatment works with the costs of abating PFAS.

The PFAS Abatement Fund will also provide financial assistance to county, municipal and local government units, as well as the public, to remediate and otherwise abate PFAS contamination. At least $90 million will go to counties to investigate and remediate PFAS contamination at county-owned fire training academies and airports, which both used AFFF containing PFAS.

Natural resource damages

Up to $365 million will compensate the State of New Jersey for damage to and the restoration of natural resources stemming from PFAS contamination. That includes work in the vicinity of four specific sites:

• Pompton Lakes Works, Pompton Lakes and Wanaque, Passaic County
• The Parlin site, Sayreville, Middlesex County
• The Repauno site, Greenwich Township, Gloucester County
• Chambers Works, Pennsville and Carney’s Point, Salem County

Remediation funding

Under the settlement, the DuPont entities must fully remediate the industrial sites, regardless of ultimate cost, NJDEP said.

To that end, the DuPont entities also agreed to create remediation funding sources of up to $1.2 billion and to establish an additional reserve fund of $475 million. The financial resources aim to ensure public funds do not pay for cleanup work at the above sites.

Approximately $195 million in recovered funds will cover legal fees and costs, NJDEP said.

Last August, the state identified law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as its representative in the DuPont matter and the PFAS settlement with 3M.

Along with other deals commenced since 2019, New Jersey says it expects to recover $3 billion from lawsuits to address local damage caused by PFAS and other pollutants.