$64 million settlement against Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell and 3M
A Brief Summary
The court has approved a $64 million settlement against Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell, and 3M for PFOA chemical pollution of a New York town's water system. Current and former residents of Hoosick Falls will be compensated as part of the settlement. The complaint was first filed in 2016, and an appeal against the ruling must be filed within 30 days.
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The plant has been run by Saint-Gobain since the mid-1990s, and before that, it was run by Allied Signal, which later became Honeywell. According to the Albany Times Union, the factory is near the town's water plant, and the contamination was discovered in late 2015.
According to the Times Union, DuPont was named in the lawsuit but did not agree to a settlement, therefore the case will go to trial. According to the Times Union, the complaint names DuPont and 3M for their roles in processing and distributing PFOAs.
The settlement is unlikely to face any challenges, as the firms originally agreed to the financial figure in July 2021. According to WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the corporations indicated at the time that they would take a proactive approach to reduce PFOA pollution in Hoosick Falls.
Since November 2021, Saint-Gobain has been involved in a second PFOA settlement. Residents in Bennington, Vermont, will get $34.15 from the chemical corporation for pollution caused by operations at a plant that closed in 2002.
The EPA has announced a pathway to handle per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, which has become a top concern. The EPA's goals include speeding chemical pollution cleanup and making polluters accountable, such as LyondellBasell Industries' $50 million commitment to modernise its facilities.
About $23 million of the $64 million New York settlement would go toward medical care and monitoring for affected people. According to the Times Union, approximately 2,500 claims have been submitted in the lawsuit. Payments will be distributed to 1,800 property owners.
