The City Council Thursday could decide to exclude Taylor from national class-action lawsuits against two multinational companies accused of harming state water supplies with “forever chemicals.”
The issue revolves around legal claims from a publichealth watchdog group that E.I Dupont De Nemours and 3M Co. injected more than 1,000 wells across Texas with 40,000 pounds of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl page 1 substances. Cities were warned the substances could pose a health risk, according to the Texas Tribune. Known as socalled toxic “forever chemicals,” scientists say PFAs don’t break down in the environment and can build up in the human body, causing cancer.
COUNCIL•
The council will go behind closed doors to convene in executive session, which is routine when cities discuss legal issues, personnel, hiring or real estate. Any action, however, has to be taken in open session.
According to the council agenda packet, “It would be in the city’s best interest to be excluded from the settlement class of both lawsuits, as the city may waive any future known or unknown claims it or its water-service providers may have in the future against the settling defendants or other potential defendants.”
By removing itself, the city is able to pursue future claims if warranted, analysts indicated.
In June, 3M reached a $10.3 billion settlement with many cities and towns across the United States over claims the substances polluted Texas water sources.
DuPont also reached a $1.19 billion settlement with water providers around the country, according to media reports.
According to the agenda packet, Taylor received notice about the legal challenges, and would be included automatically as part of any settlement in both suits unless it requests to be dropped.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that U.S. cities, towns and water districts have challenged proposed class-action settlements worth more than $11 billion with chemical companies accused of contaminating water with toxic “forever chemicals,” including E.I Dupont De Nemours and 3M.
The council regularly meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month at City Hall, 400 Porter St.
Agendas and live broadcasts are available at http://www.taylortx. gov.
