Taylor City Council decided to exclude the city from national class-action lawsuits Thursday, Nov. 30 in a special meeting.
The issue revolved around legal claims from a public health 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 substances.
The council went behind closed doors for a little under 20 minutes to convene in executive session, which is routine when cities discuss legal issues, personnel, hiring or real estate.
When council members reconvened into open session, the vote was 4-0 with District 4 Councilman Robert Garcia away on vacation.
Taylor City Council unanimously votes to opt out of “forever chemicals” lawsuit during special meeting Thursday, Nov. 30. Screenshot from special council meeting.
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.
Cities were warned that PFAs could pose a health risk, according to the Texas Tribune. Known as so-called toxic “forever chemicals,” scientists say PFAs don’t break down in the environment and can build up in the human body, causing cancer.
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 can pursue future claims if warranted, analysts indicated.
The approval allows City Manager Brian LaBorde or Mayor Brandt Rydell to execute whatever required documents needed to opt out of the lawsuits.
