Chemours is “flourishing.” That’s the assessment of the company’s hometown newspaper, the News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, which interviewed CEO Mark Vergnano.
Chemours has millions of dollars invested in North Carolina and employs hundreds of the state’s residents, so that certainly could be seen as good news, not just for the company but for North Carolina as well.
Those investments and employees have helped Chemours achieve impressive financial results, amounting to $6.2 billion in revenue in 2017.
This news comes as Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has embarked on designs for a $46 million project to make sure water we provide to our customers doesn’t have high levels of PFAS compounds Chemours has released into the Cape Fear River and that persist in the environment.
So given Chemours’ success, we can’t help but ask: Shouldn’t a flourishing company like Chemours step up to pay that $46 million, the equivalent of 0.7 percent of 2017 revenue, to fix this problem they caused?
We aren’t the only ones asking. Almost 200,000 people in New Hanover County depend on the water CFPUA provides. They want to know why Chemours isn’t footing the bill to remove PFAS compounds from their water.
Like us, they’re still waiting for an answer.
CFPUA doesn’t begrudge Chemours’ success. We simply want them to do what any responsible company, what any good neighbor, would do: Take responsibility for the problems it has caused.