[Opinion] Trump's admin lands a blow in the Cumberland fight against 'forever chemicals'

By Myron B. Pitts | Fayetteville Observer | April 1, 2025

Read the full article by Myron B. Pitts (Fayetteville Observer)

"Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s years-long fight against so-called forever chemicals has been set back in the early going of the Trump Administration, and it comes at a critical time.

PFAS, short for per-and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, have been linked to cancer. They are a source of contamination connected to the Chemours chemical plant at the Cumberland and Bladen County line, affecting water, ground and the air. Residents in Gray’s Creek and other areas have been living on bottled or filtered water as a result.

Just under a year ago, the state’s environmental advocates and local government officials saw a milestone in the federal response when Michael S. Regan, then-administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, came to Fayetteville to announce new standards requiring, among other things, that companies test for six different types of PFAS, including GenX, produced at Chemours."