California-led coalition takes legal action against 3M’s deal with PFAS-polluted water providers

By Sharon Udasin | The Hill | July 26, 2023

Read the full article by Sharon Udasin (The Hill)

"A California-led coalition of 22 U.S. states and territories is taking bipartisan legal action against a recently proposed settlement between the company 3M and water utilities affected by “forever chemicals” — arguing that the deal would shift accountability from the polluter to the providers.

The group of attorneys general from across the country filed a motion to intervene and a document of opposition to a federal district court on Wednesday, voicing their disagreement with a tentative class action settlement announced by the parties last month.

3M had offered up to $10.3 billion in present-day dollars to eligible public water suppliers over 13 years, with the caveat that the deal “is not an admission of liability.” The settlement would apply to providers that have already detected chemicals belonging to a group known as PFAS, as well as those that might do so in the future."