3M accuses Met Council of dumping PFCs in Mississippi River

The Pioneer Press reports on a new twist in the legal fight between 3M and the Met Council and state of Minnesota. Last year the state and Met Council sued the company, saying PFCs it had manufactured had damaged the environment. Now 3M is suing the Met Council, claiming the council bears responsibility for PFCs in the river because the chemical is in treated wastewater.

Author:
BMTN Staff
Updated:
Mar 8, 2018
Original:
Jan 10, 2012

The Pioneer Press reports on a new twist in the legal fight between 3M and the Met Council and state of Minnesota. Last year the state and Met Council sued the company, saying PFCs it had manufactured had damaged the environment. Now 3M is suing the Met Council, claiming the council bears responsibility for PFCs in the river because the chemical is in treated wastewater.

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MPR reports the Metropolitan Council wants 3M to pay to clean up a chemical polluting the Mississippi River. The Met Council says it will have to invest $1 billion in carbon filtration to meet new regulations on PFCs in wastewater. The agency says paying for that would require a 40 percent rate increase on wastewater services in 105 cities throughout the metro.

The council wants the manufacturer to pay for the cost of removing its chemicals used to make Scotchgard that was discharged into the Mississippi River. Met Council officials say the agency faces spending $1 billion in order to filter out the chemicals.

The 3M Co. is suing one of its former law firms for switching sides – to aid in a suit against 3M that claims the company damaged the environment. The company is citing "betrayal" motivated by "greed" of the national firm Covington & Burling LLP, which is now helping the Minnesota attorney general in a suit against 3M.

The company has agreed to clean up groundwater that is now polluted with industrial toxins. But, as the Star Tribune reports, one much harder problem remains: how to remove PFCs from wastewater before the company's manufacturing plant in Cottage Grove sends it into the Mississippi.

According to the report by Environment Minnesota, about half of the toxic chemicals are dumped into the Mississippi River. The Blue Earth and Rainy rivers also rank high in industrial pollutants.

With ridership numbers not living up to expectations, the Met Council said Wednesday that it's cutting fees on the NorthStar commuter rail line. Starting Aug. 1, the NorthStar -- which travels between the Twin Cities and Big Lake -- will charge $6 instead of $7 for weekday rush hour patrons. The reduced fee experiment will be evaluated in nine months.

The law firm handling a Minnesota suit against 3M has been ordered off the case because of a conflict of interest. The firm has previously represented 3M. The judge's ruling is a blow to the state's case involving chemicals formerly made by 3M that turned up in rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

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