VTDigger.org
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics was the manufacturing company that last owned the former North Bennington factory. Under a 2019 settlement with the state of Vermont, the company took on the cleanup of industrial contamination at the factory. The factory was accused of spreading chemical contamination from the site. The factory was known for producing Teflon-coated fiberglass fabrics. The North Bennington factory and another plant owned by Saint-Gobain in the village were accused of emitting PFOA through smokestacks, thereby contaminating drinking water, groundwater, and soil throughout the area.
Saint-Gobain settled on the class-action lawsuit for $34 million in 2022. The cleanup is being done based on visual inspection by Saint-Gobain. A contractor was hired by the state to check their performance and send updates to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Saint-Gobain plans to dispose of solid waste generated during cleanup at a federally permitted hazardous waste landfill in Michigan.