The Wilmington Star News mentioned Brooks Pierce partner George House in an article on the federal lawsuit filed against Chemours and DuPont by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA). The suit alleges that Chemours and DuPont violated several environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, by discharging the chemical GenX in the wastewater at a treatment plant near Fayetteville, North Carolina. House represents the CFPUA.
Earlier this year, high levels of GenX, a toxic chemical, and related pollutants were discovered in significant levels in the Cape Fear River and in water from the river that had been treated for human use by the CFPUA. The chemicals were traced back to the Chemours plant. The suit, filed in the federal district court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges that DuPont and Chemours, despite knowing of the potential threats posed by GenX, have been discharging it in the plant’s wastewater since 1980. This suit is not the only legal challenge facing Chemours and DuPont and other lawsuits are expected.
House, a veteran environmental lawyer, has also encouraged the state to be more aggressive in regulating GenX and other potentially hazardous chemicals.
