3M Co. has agreed to pay the state of Minnesota $850 million to settle a major case alleging the manufacturer damaged natural resources and contaminated groundwater by disposing of chemicals over decades, Minnesota’s attorney general announced Tuesday.
The state was seeking $5 billion from Maplewood, Minnesota-based 3M in a case that focused on the company’s disposal of chemicals once used to make Scotchgard fabric protector and other products.
"We’re pleased with the settlement.
We think the settlement will help solve a problem in Minnesota.
It’s been a problem that has been a long time in the making for many decades," Swanson said.
Swanson said 3M will pay the state in one lump sum within the next 15 days.
The company began producing PFCs in the 1950s and legally disposed of them in landfills for decades.
The state and 3M reached a deal three years later requiring the company to spend millions to clean up landfills and provide clean drinking water to affected communities.
But Minnesota sued in 2010, alleging 3M researched PFCs and knew the chemicals were getting into the environment and posing a threat to human health.
Since the Minnesota lawsuit was filed in 2010, concerns over PFCs have grown.