SAINT PAUL, Minn—On Monday, May 14, 2018, the Minnesota House passed bipartisan legislation authored by Rep. Kelly Fenton, R-Woodbury, that will ensure public transparency and guardrails for the $850 million 3M settlement. House File 3660, which is being co-sponsored by other east metro legislators including Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park, Rep. Tony Jurgens, R-Cottage Grove, and Rep. Kathy Lohmer, R-Lake Elmo, will ensure that funds are used for the east metro to enhance the quality and sustainability of drinking water. The bill passed on a vote of 108-16.
“The east metro is our home, and my bill makes it clear that the dollars from the 3M settlement go toward cleaning up and protecting our communities from future contamination issues, mitigating costs for residents down the line. This legislation has been the work of several months, engaging stakeholders, local leaders, state agencies and legislators from our communities to make sure we get this done right,” said Rep. Fenton. “We’re putting critical safeguards around this funding to ensure state agencies are engaging our communities about their priorities and protecting our drinking water, as well as other critical water quality needs in our area.”
House File 3660 creates a new Water Quality and Sustainability Account, requiring the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to work with stakeholders and recommend projects deserving of funding, providing a reliable source of public money for response and corrective actions to address future cases of contamination or environmental hazards. The money must be used to enhance the quality, quantity and sustainability of the east metro’s drinking water. If that goal is achieved, the funds may also be used to restore and enhance aquatic resources, wildlife, habitat, fishing, resource improvement and outdoor recreation opportunities in the east metro and in downstream areas of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers.
The bill also adds critical local control components, requiring state agencies receive approval from local units of government prior to assuming control of a municipal water supply operation in the east metro. Moreover, it requires that state agencies regularly report back to the Legislature for greater oversight of how the settlement is being used and what projects are being funded.
"Our bill puts control in the hands of our local governments who know what's needed for area residents," said Rep. Franke. "By valuing local input and control, we can create proper safeguards to ensure state promises are delivered upon."
Additionally, the legislation includes a provision related to testing private wells in the east metro. Under the plan, sponsored by Rep. Jurgens, the MPCA must develop a webpage that includes the process for public and private well Perflurochemicals (PFCs) sampling in the east metro area. The webpage will include an interactive map that allows people to view locations of well advisories and areas projected to be sampled for PFCs, and contact information for the MPCA and Department of Health to answer question on the sampling of private wells. Results must also be reported to impacted communities and the Legislature.
“I’ve been working with the MPCA on the well-testing issue and am pleased we found an acceptable compromise,” Rep. Jurgens said. “Transparency throughout this process is not only important to me but those who are concerned about the safety of their drinking water, and I truly believe this is a positive step forward.”
“Collecting and distributing an $850 million check isn’t as simple as it might seem,” Rep. Lohmer concluded. “It was important for us to address some of the unanswered issues and questions that were brought forward with this settlement while ensuring that residents’ water will be safe to drink. This bill helps meet both of those goals.”
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