EnviroPolitics Blog

DuPont settles with New Jersey over PFAS contamination

DuPont, along with Chemours and Corteva, has agreed to a $2 billion settlement with the state of New Jersey to address PFAS contamination at four industrial sites.

This settlement, announced on Monday, includes an $875 million payment to the state and a commitment to a $1.2 billion remediation fund for cleanup efforts. The settlement is the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single US state, according to the Sierra Club.

The settlement resolves claims related to PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” and other pollutants at the following four sites:

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

The remediation fund will ensure the companies are responsible for cleaning up the contamination, and a separate $475 million reserve fund is established to protect against potential bankruptcy of the companies. The settlement comes after months of trial and is a result of the state’s efforts to hold companies accountable for environmental damage.

This settlement builds on previous successes, bringing New Jersey’s total recovery from PFAS lawsuits to approximately $3 billion since 2019. It comes amid a national focus on PFAS contamination and ongoing efforts to hold chemical companies accountable for the health and environmental risks associated with these chemicals. New Jersey has been particularly proactive in addressing PFAS contamination, being the first state to set drinking water standards for certain PFAS compounds.

This settlement is seen as a major victory for environmental protection and accountability, setting a strong precedent for future litigation and remediation efforts related to PFAS contamination across the country.

NJSpotlight News interview with NJDEP Commissioner LaTourette
New Jersey reaches PFAS settlement with DuPont (WHYY)
Chemical Makers to Pay N.J. $875 Million to Settle ‘Forever Chemicals’ Claims (NY Times)

Amid Federal PFAS Rollbacks, New Jersey Scores Record $2 Billion DuPont Settlement

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ReMa’s new specs aims to boost paper cup recyling acceptance

Three white paper cups with blue lettering that says Cold&Go. — Graphic Packaging International developed its Cold&Go paper cups for food service customers, such as Chick-fil-A, to use as an alternative to plastic cold cups.

By Katie Pyzyk, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive

Paper cups are for the first time part of the Recycled Materials Association’s materials specifications list, the newest fiber spec since pizza boxes were added in 2020. Graphic Packaging International praised the cups update, calling it “a major milestone in a broader movement to increase awareness and drive greater collection of paper cups in recycling systems,” according to a Monday news release.

ReMa’s ISRI specifications set standards for the quality of recycled materials and serve as a guide for scrap material buyers’ and sellers’ transactions. However, they do not mandate that recyclers must accept certain materials.

“The association’s guidelines are highly influential with waste collectors and with thousands of material recovery facilities in deciding what does and doesn’t get collected in municipal recycling and collection systems,” explained Graphic Packaging International CEO Mike Doss on Tuesday’s earnings call. “This update has particular significance to us,” considering GPI is a major user of recovered fiber and says it’s the largest producer of paper cups in North America.

The company has helped customers develop various paper cup solutions as a plastic alternative, including at food service giants Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s. In the CPG space, GPI helped Nissin Cup Noodles switch from its long-standing foam cup to a fiber version.

Read the full story here

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Nature Note: How to Help Our Turtles

From “Trails & Tales of Wharton,”a new monthly publication of nature and history-related articles written by Wharton State Forest’s nature and history interpretive staff.

If you’ve explored any of our parks, forests, or historic sites, you may have encountered turtles basking on rocks and logs, crawling through fields, or trying to cross our roads! We want to remind our visitors that the best way to help an uninjured turtle cross the road is to place it on the side of the road to which it was heading. When you pick up a turtle, make sure you grab the rear end of its shell with both hands. If you can’t figure out which side of the road the turtle was walking towards, move it to the side with the most suitable habitat.

DO NOT move a turtle away from where you found it. Turtles often live their lives in a small area. When you move them to a new location, they will try to make their way back to their home and will likely need to cross more roads and be harmed in the process. Please note that baby turtles are not raised by their parents and should also not be moved from their habitat.

If you find an injured turtle, please call your nearest New Jersey Wildlife Rehabilitator. You can check this list for New Jersey Wildlife Rehabilitators. If you think you have encountered a rare or endangered turtle species, you can report the wildlife siting to NJ Fish and Wildlife here.

Visit the NJ Fish and Wildlife website to find out more about our wildlife and other ways you can help!

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EPA out to kill a bedrock scienific finding supporting climate action

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin

By Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman, The New York Times

July 29, 2025–Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said on Tuesday that the Trump administration would revoke the scientific determination that underpins the government’s legal authority to combat climate change.

Speaking at a truck dealership in Indianapolis, Mr. Zeldin said the E.P.A. planned to rescind the 2009 declaration, known as the endangerment finding, which concluded that planet-warming greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health. The Obama and Biden administrations used that determination to set strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources of pollution.

“The proposal would, if finalized, amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” Mr. Zeldin said. He said the proposal would also erase limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks on the nation’s roads.

Without the endangerment finding, the E.P.A. would be left with no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are accumulating in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

The proposal is President Trump’s most consequential step yet to derail federal climate efforts. It marks a notable shift in the administration’s position from one that had downplayed the threat of global warming to one that essentially flatly denies the overwhelming scientific evidence of climate change.

It would not only reverse current regulations, but, if the move is upheld in court, it could make it significantly harder for future administrations to rein in climate pollution from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

Read the full story here

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Menhaden scarcity is dangerous news for Jersey Shore ospreys

*Wildlife biologist* *Ben Wurst is glad to see some young, but the overall picture for ospreys this year is grim. (Photos by Ryan Morrill)*

By JULIET KASZAS-HOCH, The Sand Paper

Wildlife biologists, conservation organizations, local fishermen, and even President Trump are monitoring a dramatic decrease in numbers of menhaden – known colloquially as bunker – in the Atlantic Ocean. On and near Long Beach Island, the scarcity of this small schooling fish not only has affected anglers who catch the bunker to sell to tackle shops for bait, it’s caused populations of ospreys to collapse, as the lack of menhaden leads to abandoned incubation or starvation of young.

“Results from surveys this summer are on track to be the lowest recorded since early recovery efforts for ospreys began in the early 1970s,” said Ben Wurst, a senior wildlife biologist with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. “There is little doubt that this troubling decline is tied to the reduced availability of Atlantic menhaden – a critical food source – that has sustained the rebound of ospreys over the past several decades.”

Omega Protein, a Virginia-based subsidiary of Canadian seafood giant Cooke, has been targeted as a primary cause of the lack of menhaden. The company contracts with Ocean Harvesters, in Reedville, Va., to handle processing of the bunker – of which it catches many. In 2016, Wurst pointed out for reference, more than 323 million pounds of menhaden were landed in Virginia alone. In coastal Virginia, as in New Jersey, “osprey populations have collapsed, and the likely culprit is lack of prey,” he said.

Wurst oversees the N.J. Osprey Project, focused on monitoring and managing the statewide osprey population, which was nearly eliminated before a significant rebound after DDT was banned in 1972. Last Friday, July 18, he headed out by boat – along with CWF summer interns Marlee Canale, a field technician, and Sarah Neil, who works in communications – to check some of the raptors’ nests in the bay off Barnegat Light.

There have been a high number of nest failures in the area; on Friday, the group spotted just a few young, which Wurst banded for tracking. The same dearth of nestlings “has also been observed directly through livestreaming osprey cams from Cape May to Oceanville, and reported by some of our dedicated volunteers in other areas,” he explained. “Right now, all signs point to a lack of food.”

Read the full story here

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Two NJ organizations expand clean transportation collaboration

Egg Harbor Township, NJ – July 28, 2025 — The New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition (NJCCC) and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) have formalized a long-standing relationship with the signing of a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that sets the stage for expanded collaboration on clean transportation, public education, and workforce development initiatives across Atlantic County and the greater South Jersey region.

This new agreement marks a strategic step in NJCCC’s broader commitment to increase its presence and programming in southern New Jersey. By aligning more closely with local leaders like ACUA—an organization nationally recognized for its sustainability and clean fleet leadership—NJCCC aims to amplify its impact and accelerate progress toward a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient transportation future.

As the first step under this partnership, NJCCC has placed a summer intern at the ACUA offices through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Accelerate Internship Program. Zach Grossman, a rising senior at Brandeis University majoring in physics and philosophy, is supporting ACUA and NJCCC’s clean fleet transition efforts while contributing to public outreach and clean energy education initiatives.

Grossman’s work includes conducting fleet analyses to assess the economic and environmental benefits of alternative fuels and zero-emission vehicles, supporting local engagement efforts, and helping develop educational materials that inform regional decision-makers. His internship will culminate in a final project presented to the U.S. DOE Accelerate Team later this summer.

“Working alongside people who are actively building a cleaner future is incredibly motivating,” said Grossman. “This internship is helping me understand the real challenges and solutions behind sustainable transitions—and how important collaboration is to making it happen.”

“We’re thrilled to have Zach on board and deeply value ACUA’s partnership,” said Chuck Feinberg, Executive Director of NJCCC. “This formal agreement is an important step as we expand our efforts in South Jersey. Together, we’re investing not only in clean technology—but also in the people and communities that make lasting change possible.”

“ACUA is proud to host NJCCC and aid in their expansion into South Jersey,” said ACUA President Matthew DeNafo. “Our communities will greatly benefit from their resources and knowledge in alternative fuels and technologies.”

NJCCC previously assisted ACUA in obtaining $2 million in funding from DOE to build its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station and purchase new CNG vehicles for its fleet. The station and fleet have since saved Atlantic County ratepayers more than $6.6 million in benefits and prevented more than 9,423 metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere.

NJCCC was also instrumental in obtaining $3.8 million in funding from the DOE for a future hydrogen energy project that will generate hydrogen from treated wastewater at ACUA’s Atlantic City treatment facility.

Two NJ organizations expand clean transportation collaboration Read More »

DuPont settles with New Jersey over PFAS contamination

ReMa’s new specs aims to boost paper cup recyling acceptance

Nature Note: How to Help Our Turtles

EPA out to kill a bedrock scienific finding supporting climate action

Menhaden scarcity is dangerous news for Jersey Shore ospreys

Two NJ organizations expand clean transportation collaboration

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