Legislators held a press conference this week with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to announce the blueprint to eliminate polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) statewide. Governor Walz has budgeted $3 million to remove PFAS from Minnesota’s drinking water, farmlands, and fish. The approach announced by legislators will holistically and strategically work with local units of government as well as partner with industries to create preventative measures that will assure that PFAS pollution will not affect communities across our state. This blueprint stated the 10 priority areas as well as the additional tools to be implemented to prevent and eliminate PFAS from our environment.
The 2021 legislative priorities introduced to facilitate the elimination of PFAS include:
- Designating PFAS as a hazardous substance
- Requiring companies to disclose information on contaminants
- Identifying industrial sources of PFAS in the environment
- Evaluating PFAS waste going to landfills, compost facility, and wastewater treatment plants
- Responding when PFAS chemicals are found in closed Minnesota landfills
- Protecting Minnesotans from fish contaminated with PFAS,
- Protecting drinking water and agricultural lands by understanding PFAS in wastewater and landfill leachate
Senate DFLers are working to ensure Minnesotans don’t need to worry about PFAs when they turn on the tap to get a drink of water or to run their kids a bath. The Governor’s plan will move us forward in doing just that.
