Cooper: NC taking steps to deal with toxic GenX


WILMINGTON -- The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will use an ongoing permit process to ban Chemours from discharging GenX at its Fayetteville Works site while also including a clause allowing the state to revisit the document if other compounds released from the facility are proven dangerous, Gov Roy Cooper said Monday morning.

“Sometimes it’s easy to take safe water for granted,” he said. “I can assure you I do not.”

Cooper’s announcement came during his first visit to Wilmington since it was widely reported in early June that several perfluorinated compounds -- including GenX -- had been found in the area’s public drinking supply. Denying Chemours’ request to discharge the chemical and tweaking the permit were among several steps Cooper’s administration has taken or will be taking in response to GenX.