State officials have fined the 3M Co. $80,000 for improper handling of hazardous chemicals in Cottage Grove.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said 3M did not correctly store barrels of hydrofluoric acid before burning it in its incinerator.
The state’s two-year investigation and the fine are not related to another problem with chemicals — perfluorochemicals manufactured by 3M, detected in the drinking water of much of Washington County for 17 years.
The agency said Thursday that 3M takes the hydrofluoric acid from a 3M facility in Illinois to be burned at the Cottage Grove site.
According to the PCA, one container of the acid was releasing fumes into the air, which could potentially endanger human health.
In addition, 3M stored 901 barrels of the acid on the site. The agency said the chemical was stored beyond the one-year limit – in some cases, almost two years beyond the limit.
Sen. Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove, called the fine too low.
“$80,000 is an asinine penalty for the level of misconduct and irresponsibility that was displayed,” said Bigham Thursday.
She said 3M showed “a shocking and egregious disregard” for public safety.
Two Republican representatives — Keith Franke of St. Paul Park and Tony Jurgens of Cottage Grove — released a joint statement on the matter Thursday.
“3M has a duty to be a good environmental steward. In this instance, it failed, and the people of Cottage Grove and Washington County deserve and expect better from this company.”
3M agreed to take 15 corrective measures to improve the handling of waste materials, employee training and record-keeping.
In a prepared statement, 3M officials said Thursday that it would “help ensure consistent compliance in this facility’s use of regulated materials, provide a safe working environment for our employees, and reaffirm our role as a positive presence in the Cottage Grove community.”
The fine has no connection to costs related to perfluorochemicals, which the company began to manufacture in the 1940s. The company has paid almost a billion dollars for misuse of those chemicals, which it used to make non-stick cookware, stain repellent and fire-extinguisher foam.
Traces of the chemicals have been found in groundwater of the southwest part of Washington County.
By 2017, the company had spent an estimated $100 million in various clean-up efforts, including filters for city water systems. In 2018, the company paid $850 million to settle an environmental damage suit brought by the state attorney general.