Carney’s Point files $1.1 billion Lawsuit against DuPont’s Pollution
Thursday, December 22, 2016
NJ Sierra Club/ press release
(December 22, 2016)--The small town of Carney’s Point has filed a lawsuit against DuPont against the failure to clean up more that $1 billion of pollution at one of New Jersey’s top greenhouse gas emitters. Chambers Works, where a chemical used in the non-stick coating Teflon was made, released over 100 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the water and ground from the late 1800s until the early 1970s, impacting surrounding residents within a two mile radius.
Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also served a violation to the Complex saying it violated the Clean Air Act. DuPont is not only one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the country, their generating station in Carney’s Point was listed the seventh highest polluter of carbon dioxide in 2014 (998,157 metric tons of CO2). Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:
“The DuPont Chambers Works facility has a long history of polluting the environment and it is important Carney’s Point is going to Court against $1 billion worth of damages. We need to make sure polluters pay all the costs to adequately clean-up this pollution. We cannot allow DuPont to walk away from their mess and leave polluters off the hook for millions of dollars at the expense of the community and the environment. The people nearby this facility are already suffering from DuPont’s pollution and they deserve a real clean-up that protects public health.”
“We need DuPont to clean up all of this toxic pollution immediately because the more we wait, the more toxic chemicals are seeking into the groundwater. These hazardous materials will have long-term affects on the people living nearby this facility, which is why this contamination must be completely removed. This area is a toxic nightmare spewing tons of toxic air pollution, while polluting the groundwater. It is important that the town is taking DuPont to Court, but where was the DEP? The NJDEP has seen significant drops in enforcement and compliance and may not even be conducting investigations. It is clear they have failed to do their job to protect the environment, by looking the other way at all of this pollution.”
“This facility has been poisoning the community in Carney’s Point for far too long. The problem is that DuPont’s violations and pollution may have been caught sooner if there was more enforcement. If polluters are let off the hook without being penalized, then the people of New Jersey are left to suffer with more pollution. Time and time again the Christie Administration has sided with special interests over holding polluters accountable. That is why we are glad the town is taking action by going to Court for all these damages. Now we need the Court to require DuPont to adequately clean-up and remove all of this toxic contamination.”