Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced a settlement with Tyco Fire Products LP (Tyco) over PFAS contamination originating from the Tyco Fire Technology Center in Marinette. The DNR had referred Tyco for charges during the governor's first term, alleging the company violated the state's Spills Law by failing to report, investigate, and remediate PFAS discharges at and around the facility.
The agreement requires Tyco to pay $10 million into Wisconsin's PFAS Trust Fund, provide deep drinking water wells for every existing plot within an agreed area for the next 20 years, and continue monitoring and reporting on ground and surface water quality. Tyco must also establish PFAS cleanup goals for soil, groundwater, and surface water, submit remediation documentation to the DNR for approval, and operate a Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System. The DNR retains authority to approve, conditionally approve, or reject Tyco's submittals throughout the process.
The settlement is one of the largest to result from a DNR enforcement referral in state history. It does not affect a separate, broader lawsuit filed in 2022 against Tyco, Chemguard, 3M, DuPont, and other defendants for PFAS contamination across Wisconsin, which remains active.
Wisconsin also reduced its enforceable drinking water standard for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from 70 parts per trillion (ppt) to 4 ppt in March, aligning with federal limits. Wisconsin enacted the $125 million PFAS clean-up investment earlier this year through two bipartisan bills, with settlement funds from the Tyco agreement adding to that total. The Trump administration has moved to roll back some federal PFAS standards, making state-level enforcement actions like this settlement more consequential for facilities operating near contaminated sites.
