Industrial conglomerate 3M on Tuesday announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to pay $98.4 million to resolve suits over “forever” chemicals, or chemicals resistant to breaking down in the environment. The U.S. company agreed to the payout to settle claims that it had contaminated the Tennessee River with the toxic chemicals, known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. It agreed to resolve a lawsuit by environmental group Tennessee Riverkeeper and a separate class action by residents of Alabama’s Morgan County. 3M also negotiated a private settlement with Morgan County, the city of Decatur, where 3M’s local facility is based, and Decatur’s utility provider. All three involved the company’s manufacturing and disposal of PFAS at its Decatur industrial site in Morgan County. “3M has reached a collaborative agreement to resolve ongoing litigation and negotiations related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) near 3M’s Decatur, Alabama facility,” the company said in a …