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Ocean County officials are calling on the State of New Jersey to reject the PFOS/PFOA settlement agreement in its current form and to give counties direct control over how funds from the historic environmental settlement are distributed and used.
In May 2025, New Jersey announced a proposed $450 million settlement with 3M to address contamination from PFOS and PFOA, often referred to as "forever chemicals." Under the current proposal, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would retain full control over the settlement funds and decide how they are allocated statewide.
Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace, who is leading the effort on behalf of the Board, said that local control will ensure the funding reaches the communities most directly impacted by PFAS contamination.
"We are seeing a growing PFAS plume moving through our groundwater," Arace said. "As more municipal wells are affected, our towns are being forced to install costly treatment systems just to protect drinking water. If the settlement funds are held solely by the DEP, our local officials are in the dark and our residents are left waiting."
"Ocean County's towns know their systems, their infrastructure, and their residents," he continued. "They know what remediation is required because they've been confronting this issue firsthand. Local leaders must be at the table, not on the sidelines, when these decisions are being made."
Ocean County officials argue that the centralized model fails to consider the varying environmental needs of each region and does not guarantee that the communities most affected by PFAS contamination will receive the funding they deserve. County leaders warn that without local oversight, settlement dollars could be diluted through state bureaucracy rather than directly improving water quality and public health where it's needed most.
"When the State holds all the money and all the authority, the result is delay, bureaucracy, and a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't work," Arace said. "This is about accountability. Local control means local results, cleaner water, faster remediation, and stronger public health protections."
"This settlement money should go where the damage has been done, not disappear into layers of state administration," said Frank Sadeghi, Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners. "Each county faces unique environmental and infrastructure challenges. Local governments are on the front lines of addressing them every day, and those decisions should be made by the people who know their communities best."
County leaders point to the opioid settlement model, in which funds were shared directly with counties and municipalities, allowing for transparency and community input. They say that model has proven counties can responsibly manage large-scale settlements while ensuring the money is used effectively and locally.
"Counties have demonstrated their ability to manage settlement funds with integrity," said Ocean County Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione. "We have the framework, the oversight, and the community partnerships in place to ensure these dollars make a real difference in protecting our water, our health, and our environment."
"Our residents should see the benefits of this settlement in their own towns through cleaner water, safer communities, and better health protections," added Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines. "Local control is the only way to guarantee that happens."
Ocean County is urging the State to revise the PFAS settlement framework to give each of New Jersey's 21 counties direct access to funding for remediation, water treatment upgrades, and public health protection programs. County leaders say that ensuring local control will lead to faster, more efficient, and more accountable use of settlement funds, guaranteeing that those closest to the contamination can guide the solutions.
"This is about public trust," Arace added. "Our towns are already doing the work. They have the expertise, the data, and the urgency. They should also have the authority. Every dollar from this settlement should be visible, traceable, and tied to real environmental improvements right here in Ocean County."
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