Invista to pay $500 million to clean up facilities

According to the Associated Press, textile and chemical maker Invista will pay an estimated $500 million to correct environmental violations at 12 former DuPont facilities in seven states. The cleanup is part of a settlement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The subsidiary of Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries Inc. also will pay a $1.7 million civil penalty. Invista discovered the violations shortly after acquiring the facilities from DuPont in 2004. Last year, the company filed an $800 million lawsuit, saying DuPont did not allow a thorough review of the properties before the sale. The plants are in Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The settlement is the largest in the 14-year history of EPA''s audit policy, which provides incentives to companies that voluntarily disclose and correct environmental violations.