Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics is closing a plant in Merrimack, N.H., that has been blamed for contaminating residential water supplies with so-called "forever" fluorinated chemicals.
The decision ends a seven-year battle that had pitted the company against residents and political leaders who have been calling for the factory to be closed.
"Today, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics announced that it will restructure its Composite Solutions business in the United States and will close its facility in Merrimack, N.H.," the company said in an Aug. 23 statement.
"This decision comes after careful consideration and strategic evaluation of what is best for achieving Saint-Gobain's core business goals and is in line with the company's mission and plan."
The plant employs 164 people, and layoffs will start Oct. 31. The factory has been the focus of attention from residents, regulators and local leaders since 2016, when perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was first detected in a tap water sample taken at the facility.
The 2016 tests were conducted after wells near Saint-Gobain facilities in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., showed signs of perfluorooctanoic acid contamination. Officials at the time also found contamination near a former Saint-Gobain factory in North Bennington, Vt. The Vermont plant had been closed since 2002.
In 2021, a group of current and former New Hamphire lawmakers and town officials called on the state's Department of Environmental Services to either close or put tougher restrictions on the Merrimack plant.
At the time, the company argued that the complaints were based on "inaccurate and misleading statements," and that it had "a right to lawfully operate our business in the state of New Hampshire."
The announcement that the Merrimack plant is closing comes less than a week after the state Department of Environmental Services' Air Division had approved a permit that would have allowed the factory to continue to operate through 2028.
That permitting process was contentious, but the division said that "at present, NHDES does not believe it has a basis or legal authority to deny the application for a permit for the operation of devices at" Saint-Gobain.
The Saint-Gobain plants have used PFAS chemicals since the 1980s. The plants were formerly part of Chemical Fabrics Corp., which Saint-Gobain purchased in 2000. PFOA was contained in polytetrafluoroethylene coatings that the company used to make fire- and chemical-resistant fabrics.
In its Aug. 23 announcement, the company said it would offer jobs and relocation assistance to eligible employees who want to remain with Saint-Gobain, and support packages to others.
It added: "Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics will continue to work closely with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on the ongoing environmental investigation and remediation effort, including providing bottled water and permanent alternate water, as appropriate, within the consent decree area."
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics is based in Solon, Ohio. The business is a unit of Cie. De Saint-Gobain, a publicly traded French company whose plastics holdings also include CertainTeed L.L.C.
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