Governor Roy Cooper says Chemours will not get a permit to discharge GenX into the Cape Fear River. That promise came at a meeting this morning in Wilmington with local and state officials. Leaders from the area have been pressing for state help since the Star News first reported on the compromised drinking water supply last month.
Gov. Roy Cooper began his press briefing with the words people here had hoped for...
“As you may know, Chemours has applied for a new permit that is pending. I want to make it clear today, that the department of environmental quality is going to deny Chemours’ request (applause) and deny their request to release GenX into the river.”
The governor then went out to lay the six steps he and the state are taking.
“I have directed the North Carolina state Bureau of Investigation to assess whether a criminal investigation is warranted here.”
He says he has also been told by the Centers for Disease Control that they will conduct thorough tests.
“The CDC has the expertise to conduct complex exposure modeling, that will give residents a better understanding of any potential health risks from the last 30 years.”
In addition, Cooper plans to expand the scope of North Carolina’s science advisory board to work on these unregulated compounds.
And he is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to move “swiftly” to set regulatory standards on GenX, and other emerging compounds.