Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

A chemical plant here that makes a raw material for everything from Teflon to lubricants used on the International Space Station also appears to do more damage to the climate than all of this city’s passenger vehicles.

The Chemours Louisville Works along the banks of the Ohio river is the nation’s largest emitter of a climate super-pollutant known as hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23). As a greenhouse gas, the chemical is 12,400 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the primary chemical compound responsible for warming the planet, and could be eliminated with low cost, existing technology.  

Following inquiries about emissions from the plant by Inside Climate News, Chemours announced a plan Monday to curb those emissions by the end of 2022. However, the company hasn’t met its own commitment to install pollution controls since company officials pledged at a White House gathering in 2015 “to control and, to the extent feasible, eliminate by-product emissions of HFC-23 at all its fluorochemical production facilities worldwide.”

HFC-23 is an unwanted byproduct resulting from the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22, (HCFC-22) a chemical that, until recently, was widely used as a refrigerant in air conditioners. HCFC-22 also destroys atmospheric ozone which helps protect the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The production and use of the chemical was banned in the United States and other developed countries on January 1, 2020 under an international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol.  

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has reached a multi-state settlement with chemical giant Chemours Co. over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as PFAS. The Associated…

The foundation PFAS Vrij Green Claim is preparing a new lawsuit against chemical manufacturer Chemours in Dordrecht on behalf of nearby residents. The group is asking the court to order the company to halt PFAS emissions immediately and to award compensation to residents for what it calls “damage to their living environment.” The action targets people living in municipalities across the southern part of Zuid-Holland, particularly around Dordrecht. PFAS Vrij will summon Chemours before a civil court. “We are responding to a need felt by many people to take action themselves,” said chairman Ben Knüppe. “We don’t want to wait for governments or for the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to take action. So far, Chemours has not been deterred by anything. That makes going to court the obvious step.” Knüppe added that global awareness about the dangers of PFAS is increasing, but said the situation in the Drechtsteden remains “a disgrace.” The chemical manufacturer Chemours has faced repeated criticism for releasing PFAS, a group of chemicals associated with several health risks, including cancer.

The Chemours Company (“Chemours” or “the Company”) (NYSE: CC), a world chemistry firm with main market positions in Thermal & Specialized Solutions (“TSS”), Titanium Technologies (“TT”), and Advanced Performance Materials (“APM”), signed a set of definitive agreements to promote the remaining land at its former titanium dioxide manufacturing location in Kuan Yin, Taiwan to an possession group…

Chemours: Strong Momentum Regardless of One-Time Prices In Q3