Published July 23, 2026
New Jersey's years-long push to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for PFAS ("forever chemical") contamination cleared another procedural hurdle on July 2, 2026, when a federal judge in Trenton approved agreements resolving objections to the state's settlements with 3M and several DuPont-affiliated companies. A group of publicly owned wastewater and sewage authorities, along with 18 New Jersey counties, had raised objections to the proposed judicial consent orders; under the newly approved agreements, they withdrew those objections in exchange for dedicated funding for cleanup projects and clean-water infrastructure, plus liability protections.
The approval doesn't create a new settlement on its own — it clears the way for consent orders tied to two settlements New Jersey had already negotiated: a deal with 3M covering PFAS contamination at the Chambers Works and Parlin sites, and a broader agreement with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva covering additional sites including Pompton Lakes and Repauno. Both settlements trace back to lawsuits New Jersey filed in 2019 alleging decades of PFAS pollution from manufacturing operations across the state.
Counties and water authorities aren't passive bystanders in settlements like this one — many operate the drinking water and wastewater systems that have had to absorb the cost of PFAS contamination for years, and some argued the state's proposed terms didn't adequately account for their cleanup expenses. Resolving those objections was a necessary step before the consent orders — and the payment schedules tied to them — could move forward as planned.
For New Jersey, the July 2 approval represents continued progress on what state officials have described as one of the largest coordinated PFAS recoveries by any state, following earlier settlements with Solvay and Arkema. For residents in affected communities, it's a sign that funding for remediation and clean water infrastructure is closer to actually being disbursed, rather than tied up in ongoing objections.
State and government settlements like these are separate from individual personal injury claims by people who developed illnesses after PFAS exposure through contaminated drinking water. See Atumio's PFAS contamination lawsuit page for a free eligibility review, or start your case review directly.