Billions in NJ Environmental Settlements Under Murphy

New Jersey environmental settlements under Governor Phil Murphy reached into the billions of dollars, driven by a series of PFAS deals with major chemical manufacturers and dozens of smaller enforcement actions against polluters in overburdened communities. The two largest agreements alone — a $2 billion resolution with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva and a settlement worth up to $450 million with 3M — accounted for the bulk of the recovery, with additional deals involving Solvay, Arkema, and companies responsible for the Passaic River Superfund site pushing the total higher.

The Scale of Enforcement

From 2018 through the end of Murphy’s second term in January 2026, the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Protection filed at least 20 natural resource damage lawsuits and more than 50 environmental justice complaints.1NJ Spotlight News. Murphy Administration Aggressively Seeks Legal Environmental Redress By November 2025, the state had brought 80 civil environmental enforcement actions in overburdened communities since 2018, with more than three dozen producing settlements or favorable judgments totaling over $31 million in damages and penalties.2NJ Office of the Attorney General. AG Platkin and DEP Commissioner LaTourette Announce Two Settlements and Five Environmental Enforcement Lawsuits

That $31 million figure covers the smaller cases. The billion-dollar numbers came from natural resource damage settlements with chemical companies over PFAS contamination.

DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva: $2 Billion

The largest single environmental settlement ever achieved by a state, announced in August 2025, resolved claims against DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva over PFAS and other contamination at four industrial sites: Chambers Works in Pennsville and Carneys Point, the Parlin facility in Sayreville, the Pompton Lakes Works in Passaic County, and the Repauno site in Greenwich Township.3NJ Office of the Attorney General. AG Platkin, DEP Commissioner LaTourette Landmark Settlement With DuPont Valued at Over $2 Billion

The deal has three financial components. The three companies will pay $875 million over 25 years for natural resource damages, environmental abatement, and drinking water treatment. A separate $1.2 billion remediation funding source guarantees cleanup of the four sites, and a $475 million reserve fund acts as a backstop if any of the companies go bankrupt before the work finishes. The companies also agreed to transfer roughly 73 acres of land near Ramapo State Forest and place permanent conservation easements on nearly 1,400 additional acres.4NJ DEP. DuPont Settlement Information

Liability was split among the three entities: Chemours 50 percent, DuPont 35.5 percent, and Corteva 14.5 percent.5NJBIA. Chemical Companies Agree to $2B Pollution Settlement in NJ The agreement was published in the New Jersey Register on September 2, 2025, opening a 60-day public comment period, with the DEP set to file its motion for court approval by November 21, 2025, and the consent order taking effect no earlier than January 1, 2026.6DuPont. Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva Reach Agreement With the State of New Jersey

3M: Up to $450 Million

In May 2025, 3M agreed to pay New Jersey up to $450 million over 25 years to resolve PFAS claims at Chambers Works, Parlin, and statewide. The deal came just before 3M was scheduled to go to trial in the Chambers Works case on May 19, 2025.7NJ Office of the Attorney General. AG Platkin and DEP Commissioner LaTourette Announce Historic Settlement of Up to $450 Million With 3M

The payment schedule front-loads the money. Between $275 million and $325 million is due in the first nine years, including roughly $43.5 million for natural resource damages at Chambers Works and $40 million in legal costs and punitive damages. The remaining $125 million, running from 2035 to 2050, covers statewide natural resource damages and PFAS abatement. 3M admitted no liability and retains its obligation to investigate and remediate its former facilities.8NJ DEP. Notice of Proposed 3M Settlement

Solvay and Arkema: West Deptford

Solvay Specialty Polymers agreed to a $393.8 million settlement over contamination from its West Deptford manufacturing plant. Proposed in 2023 and approved by the court on March 6, 2024, the deal includes $75 million for natural resource damages, about $101 million for a DEP-administered fund covering remediation and public water system upgrades, $214 million in required remediation activities backed by a remediation funding source, and $3.7 million to reimburse the DEP for past costs.9NJ Office of the Attorney General. AG Platkin and DEP Commissioner LaTourette Announce Proposed Settlement With Solvay Polymers10NJ DEP. Solvay Settlement Information Solvay must also offer PFAS sampling for private wells identified in the consent order and, where contamination exceeds set thresholds, provide bottled water and install treatment systems at no cost to property owners.11Syensqo. West Deptford Community Meeting Boards

Arkema, Inc. reached a separate agreement for the same site, paying $33.95 million for remediation and damages and posting a $75 million reserve fund.5NJBIA. Chemical Companies Agree to $2B Pollution Settlement in NJ

The Passaic River Cleanup

The lower 17 miles of the Passaic River, designated as the Diamond Alkali Superfund site since 1984, are contaminated with dioxins tied to the manufacture of Agent Orange, along with lead, mercury, PCBs, and other toxics. The estimated cleanup cost is roughly $1.84 billion.12NJ Spotlight News. OxyChem Appeals Ruling It Must Pay Most of Passaic River Cleanup Costs

In December 2024, a federal judge approved a consent decree under which 82 companies collectively agreed to pay $150 million to settle their share of liability. Judge Madeline Cox Arleo found the settlement “fair” and “reasonable,” rejecting objections from Occidental Chemical (OxyChem), the corporate successor to Diamond Alkali and the party responsible for nearly all remaining cleanup costs. OxyChem, which reported spending $260 million on design and preparation for the lower eight miles and projected another $257 million for the upper nine, appealed to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals on July 28, 2025, arguing the $150 million contribution was insufficient and that it should be allowed to pursue further contribution claims. The appeal remained pending as of the most recent reporting.12NJ Spotlight News. OxyChem Appeals Ruling It Must Pay Most of Passaic River Cleanup Costs

Smaller Enforcement Cases

Most of the administration’s enforcement work involved gas station operators, dry cleaners, industrial sites, and property owners who failed to clean up contamination or comply with state orders. The cases, concentrated in already-polluted communities, typically sought soil and groundwater remediation, civil penalties, and compliance with earlier administrative orders. Gasoline contamination was the most common target.

Representative resolutions from the final years of the administration:

The Environmental Enforcement and Environmental Justice Section of the Division of Law handled these cases.

The Law Behind the Enforcement

Much of the enforcement effort operated under the Environmental Justice Law, signed by Murphy in 2020. It authorizes the DEP to deny or condition permits for pollution-generating facilities in overburdened communities, defined as areas with high concentrations of minority residents, low-income households, or limited-English-proficiency populations.14Princeton Center for Research on Environmental and Energy Policy. Executive Order to State Law: Evolution of Environmental Justice in NJ

The DEP adopted implementing regulations in 2023. By 2025, 89 permits had entered review across 54 municipalities and 18 counties, though only one final decision had been issued: conditional approval of a gas-powered sewage treatment facility restricted to emergency backup use during events like hurricanes.14Princeton Center for Research on Environmental and Energy Policy. Executive Order to State Law: Evolution of Environmental Justice in NJ

Industry groups challenged the regulations. On January 5, 2026, a New Jersey appeals court upheld them, rejecting arguments that the DEP had overstepped legislative intent. The court sided with the administration’s determination that job creation and economic activity do not constitute a “compelling public interest” sufficient to waive environmental permitting requirements.15E&E News. Court Upholds New Jersey’s Landmark Environmental Justice Rule

Where Things Stand at Transition

Outgoing DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette warned that many initiatives, particularly around water infrastructure, faced an uncertain future because of federal funding cuts, and he urged the incoming administration to pursue a water infrastructure bond to address a $30 billion deficit in the state’s water systems.16NJ Spotlight News. Outgoing NJ Environmental Chief Reflects on Murphy Administration Legacy Governor Mikie Sherrill took office on January 30, 2026, and appointed Ed Potosnak, formerly of the League of Conservation Voters, to lead the DEP.17NJ Conservation Foundation. Environmental Highlights 2025 The DuPont consent order and the OxyChem appeal were among the largest matters still working their way through the courts as the administration left office.