( September 9, 2025, 2:29 PM EDT) -- CHARLESTON, S.C. — The U.S. government on Sept. 8 moved in South Carolina federal court to hold in abeyance claims against the government that seek cost recovery and contribution under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in multidistrict litigation pertaining to water contamination from the use of the firefighting agent aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). The motion was filed in the docket of a case brought by the Lakewood Water District, but the document indicates that the government intends the abeyance to apply to all MDL cases in which the government is a defendant....