County legal advisers and a county utilities authority raised objections to a proposed PFAS settlement with chemical manufacturers and state agencies, and Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA) authorized an intervenor motion related to the matter. County Counsel John Napolitano told the board there is a public-comment period on the settlement that ends Sept. 19 and urged the county to submit a letter of objection.

Napolitano said the proposed agreement would release “every public entity in New Jersey” from suing 3M for damages and that the settlement’s $450 million payable over 25 years allocates only about $80 million for municipal and governmental cleanups. He said those allocations would transfer the remainder to the state and could leave local governments exposed to third‑party liability in some scenarios. “It’s a bad deal,” he said when urging board action.

Separately, the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority adopted a resolution authorizing an intervenor motion to be filed by the New Jersey Association of Environmental Authorities related to the PFAS matter. At its meeting the authority also authorized a new five‑year shared‑services contract with Chatham Township.

The record in the work session shows Napolitano asked the board for permission to prepare and send an objection letter on behalf of the county; participants indicated support but the transcript does not record a formal roll‑call vote on sending a letter. The transcript also records local officials’ concerns that the settlement, as written, would release municipalities from suing manufacturers while leaving county entities potentially liable to third parties in disposal or demolition cases.

Action items identified in the session include the MCMUA intervenor resolution and the authority’s Chatham Township contract. County counsel’s request to draft and send an objection letter was made on the record; no formal vote on that letter was recorded in the publicly available transcript.

Background: Board members said MCMUA’s action was taken at the authority’s meeting the night before the work session, and county counsel described the settlement’s payment schedule and allocation to municipal cleanups during his briefing. Napolitano said other groups, including the Construction Contractors / Utility Contractors Association and the League of Municipalities, were also preparing responses. The transcript does not include final language of any county letter or a recorded county vote to file formal objections.

Looking ahead: The settlement comment period was described as ending Sept. 19 in the meeting; county counsel offered to draft a letter objecting to the settlement’s terms and distribution of funds and asked for the board’s concurrence.