(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/20/2022) A former Port Huron paper manufacturer is facing a lawsuit seeking monetary damages for remediating contamination.
Attorney General Dana Nessel filed the suit against Domtar Industries Inc. in St. Clair County Circuit Court alleging its release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from its manufacturing processes and from the paper sludges contain high levels of PFAS but were represented as “inert.” The toxic sludges contaminated the environment at a composting business in St. Clair County.
“Michigan residents should not be left holding the bag for the impacts of corporate PFAS contamination, nor for the costs of cleaning it up,” Nessel said. “My efforts to hold companies accountable for contaminating our communities will continue where corporations are not taking adequate remediation efforts or responsibility for their actions.”
Domtar spokesperson Jan Martin said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit focuses on releases at Domtar’s mill located at 1700 Washington Ave. in Port Huron, which operated in various forms for over 100 years. The sludges at issue were sent to Techni-Comp, a composting facility in Kimball Township in St. Clair County, where PFAS have been detected in groundwater and surface water at levels that exceed state standards.
The suit also seeks a ruling on Domtar’s liability and an order to fully investigate and remediate the contamination from Domtar’s operations.
Domtar runs mills in several states and in Canada.
