EPA stalls approval for import of GenX waste to North Carolina facility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may reconsider its October decision to allow for the import of waste containing GenX chemicals from the Netherlands to a Chemours facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

GenX is a member of the large group of manmade compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS do not occur naturally in the environment and have broad uses in commercial products such as food packaging, nonstick coatings and firefighting foam, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

“EPA takes these concerns seriously and will review the notices that the company has provided to ensure the public remains safe. EPA has been informed that no shipments have taken place in 2023 and none are currently en route from the Netherlands to North Carolina,” the EPA says in a statement regarding the decision.

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has expressed concern about the import of the waste, reports WRAL.com. In a Nov. 7 letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Cooper expressed “dismay” over the agency’s initial decision to allow Chemours to import more than 4 million pounds of foreign PFAS-containing materials over the next 12 months.

“This approval should be reconsidered and reversed,” he wrote.

According to the EPA, the agency carefully reviews proposed imports of waste products and it provides conditional consent to the shipment of RCRA non-hazardous GenX waste based on the information provided by Chemours.

Chemours says it plans to recycle and reuse the imported GenX, reports WRAL.com, but it’s unclear if the shipments could increase contamination to surrounding communities.

EPA says it plans to work in close partnership with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, as well as maintain a constructive dialogue with Chemours, to protect nearby communities from any potential exposure to GenX.