Ease of some restrictions approved in split decision by house committee
Yvette Higgins

Report for Minnesota

Republican state lawmakers approved a pair of bills in a House committee last week to weaken restrictions on some uses of what are known as forever chemicals.

The proposed changes are aimed at Amara’s Law, which passed in 2023. The law restricted the use of toxic chemicals called PFAS in products including upholstered furniture, cleaning supplies and menstrual products with the goal of limiting intentionally added PFAS in commercial and industrial products by 2032. 

A new bill by Rep. Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, would exempt industrial and commercial products from Amara’s Law. It would also extend the deadline for manufacturers to report PFAS use from 2026 to 2028.  

The seven Republicans on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee voted in favor of the bill, and five Democrats voted against it.

The chemicals do not break down in the environment, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Manufacturers use PFAS for heat-resistant automobile parts, non-stick cookware, stain resistant clothes and more. 

Heinzteman said in an interview Minnesotans will buy products containing PFAS from other states if they cannot buy them in-state. He said legislators passed Amara’s Law too hastily. 

“It’s potentially crippling for sure,” Heintzeman said. 

People are exposed to PFAS when they consume contaminated water or food, according to the National Institutes of Health. About 98 percent of Americans have PFAS in their blood, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

Long-term exposure to PFAS is correlated with liver disease, and some studies link it to kidney cancer, according to Kris Klos, Minnesota Department of Health Health Risk Assessment Unit supervisor. 

In newborns and young children, exposure to PFAS is associated with weakened immune systems, developmental delays and decreased birth weights, Klos said. 

“The best way to reduce our exposure is just to not be putting it into items we use every day,” Klos said in an interview. 

Heintzeman said it is difficult for manufacturers to report PFAS use because industrial products have so many parts. 

“We’re talking about literally, in some cases, a virtually impossible task,” Heintzeman said. 

Rep. Kristi Pursell, DFL-Northfield, said in an interview that Amara’s Law will give businesses incentives to find alternatives to PFAS. 

“We can solve hard problems,” Pursell said. “We can do hard things, and especially if it’s in service for the health and safety of our kids.”

Rep. Peter Fischer, DFL-Maplewood, said in an interview that he was concerned the bill would allow loopholes for manufacturers to produce residential products with PFAS. 

“It opens up the gates wide,” Fischer said. “As long as some business uses any product, it no longer has to comply with the PFAS ban.” 

Amara’s Law is named after Amara Strande, a 20-year-old who died of a rare liver cancer in 2023. Strande grew up near a 3M plant in the east metro area that contaminated drinking water with PFAS waste. 

Strande’s father, Michael, said at the committee meeting he believes exposure to the chemicals caused his daughter’s cancer. 

“Amara came here two years ago,” Michael Strande said, referring to his daughter’s testimony at the Capitol in support of the legislation. “At the time there were no laws to protect her from the poison in us all. She wanted to ensure there would be a law, and laws, to protect others in her community.”

Nora Strande, Amara’s sister, said in an interview she is taking on her sister’s goal of protecting her community. 

“It’s personal for me,” Nora said. “It should be personal for every Minnesotan because everybody’s at risk.” 

Pursell said in an interview she remembered seeing Strande testify for PFAS restrictions two years ago. 

“It’s unsurprising that we are here discussing repealing pieces of this crucial and landmark bill,” Pursell said. “It’s disappointing.” 

Another bill by Heintzeman allowing youth-sized off-highway vehicles, such as e-bikes and snowmobiles, to contain PFAS cleared the committee Tuesday. 

Heintzeman said his bills have bipartisan support, but Fischer said he did not think the closely divided House would pass them.

Report for Minnesota is a project of the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication to support local news in all areas of the state.