Argues it would leave taxpayers liable
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday (July 26) announced her opposition to a proposed class-action settlement with the 3M Co. over drinking water contaminated with “forever chemicals.”
Dutchess County and Newburgh are among the public entities that would be eligible to receive a share of $11.5 billion that four companies have proposed paying to settle thousands of lawsuits over water supplies contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, that don’t easily break down in the environment and have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage and other negative health effects.
“This proposed settlement would allow 3M to skirt responsibility for their pollution and could leave taxpayers on the hook for expensive cleanup efforts,” James said in a statement. She joined 22 other state attorneys general in opposing the settlement.
According to the New York Department of Health, PFAS have been detected in nearly 40 percent of public drinking water supplies in the state.
