TOMS RIVER ― The Ocean County Board of Commissioners is calling on the state of New Jersey to reject the current terms of a $450 million environmental settlement, insisting that counties — not the state — should control how the money is spent.
The proposed settlement, announced in May with the company 3M, is intended to address contamination from perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), manufactured chemicals that belong to a larger group of pollutants called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to simply as “forever chemicals.” Under the state’s current proposal, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection would retain full authority over the entire settlement fund and decide how the money should be allocated statewide.
