Administrative Watch: Chemours Agrees to Halt Discharge

The Chemours corporation has agreed to cease its discharge of industrial wastewater, the Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reported last week.

Sheila Holman, DEQ’s assistant secretary, told the legislative NC House Select Committee on NC River Quality that Chemours had agreed in writing to stop discharges, as directed by the DEQ. The company’s agreement on that point does not resolve the pending financial penalty for the Notice of Violation (NOV) already served on it for previous violations of the discharge permit. The NOV relates to alleged illegal discharges of the GenX toxic chemical as part of the company’s permitted discharge. (Weekly newsletter of NC Rep. Pricey Harrison.)

Meanwhile, DEQ is investigating how GenX ended up in local honey, the first time the substance has been found in food. It was revealed during a meeting last week of the state’s Scientific Advisory Board that the chemical had been identified at potentially unsafe levels in honey collected by a Robeson County farmer. The honey was not being sold, but provided to family and friends. For their safety, the farmer agreed to dispose of the contaminated honey.

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