Read the full article by Walker Livingston (WHQR Public Media)
“Mayor Bill Saffo introduced a resolution at the Wilmington City Council meeting last night that supports legislation that would force chemical manufacturers to finance clean water efforts, which is currently waiting in committee in the NC House.
In April, House Reps. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover) and Frank Iller (R-Brunswick) of Southeastern NC introduced NC House Bill 864 — named an Act to Protect the Citizens of North Carolina From Drinking Water Contaminated by GenX and Other PFAS Compounds.
This bill would essentially allow the NC Department of Environmental Quality to force manufacturers like Chemours to pay for water system upgrades in counties and municipalities affected by contamination. If passed, it would fund water filtration upgrades by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority as well as designate money for things like municipal consolidation of water systems.
It also includes a provision that applies retroactively to contamination caused by manufacturers since 2017, the year that Wilmington StarNews broke news of PFAS and GenX contaminants in the city’s drinking water”…