In April, House Reps. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover) and Frank Iller (R-Brunswick) of Southeastern NC introduced NC House Bill 864 — named an Act to Protect the Citizens of North Carolina From Drinking Water Contaminated by GenX and Other PFAS Compounds.
This bill would essentially allow the NC Department of Environmental Quality to force manufacturers like Chemours to pay for water system upgrades in counties and municipalities affected by contamination. If passed, it would fund water filtration upgrades by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority as well as designate money for things like municipal consolidation of water systems.
It also includes a provision that applies retroactively to contamination caused by manufacturers since 2017, the year that Wilmington StarNews broke news of PFAS and GenX contaminants in the city’s drinking water
GenX, a ‘process’ trademarked by Chemours, refers to chemicals that are used to create fluoropolymers which make products like Teflon, a part of non-stick cookware. PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds, are chemicals that are found in everyday products and don’t readily break down in the human body — which is why they are called “forever chemicals.”
During the meeting, Saffo said the legislation is needed to ”go after polluters” that have contaminated the Cape Fear River. He encouraged that the bill, which has passed its first reading in the House and the House Environment Committee, be moved to the Senate as quickly as possible.
“From Fayetteville down to the mouth [of the river], I think it’s very important that we send a strong message back that we agree with the support of HB 864,” Saffo said.
He also questioned the state Chamber of Commerce’s lack of support for the bill. WHQR reported in late June that the Cape Fear Business Alliance supported the bill, while the city’s chamber declined to comment on it.
Councilmember Luke Waddell echoed Saffo’s support for the bill and said that the piece of legislation would ease CFPUA’s burden of monitoring water for contaminants, calling water a “major economic driver” in the region.
He also thanked the legislature for its bipartisan support of legislation addressing water contamination.
According to the DEQ, there are roughly 300 water systems in the state that will exceed the new limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year.
This isn’t the first time NC legislators have attempted to place responsibility on companies like Chemours and Dupont — a similar piece of legislation was introduced in 2022 but didn’t go anywhere.
The council passed the motion in a unanimous 7-0 vote, but it’s still unknown if and when the legislators will move this bill through the general assembly.
