Water bottle tax bill would raise funds for PFAS water infrastructure projects

Michigan state officials came to test Sandy Wynn-Stelt’s water in 2017. They returned a few days later wearing hazmat suits.

Wynn-Stelt’s water was found have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as PFAS, at rates of 24,000-84,000 parts per trillion. Current federal rates for PFOA and PFOS, the most common types of PFAS, are 4 parts per trillion.

Contamination in Wynn-Stelt’s water was traced to tannery runoff dumping from Wolverine World Wide into the Christmas tree farm across the street from where Wynn-Stelt lived for 25 years. Wynn-Stelt would later be diagnosed with thyroid cancer and her husband, Joel, passed away in 2016 from liver cancer.

Wynn-Stelt, co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, offered recommendations to the House Capital Investment Committee Tuesday on how the Legislature can best proactively respond to the ongoing PFAS water contamination crisis in Minnesota.

[MORE: View the PowerPoint presentation]

PFAS are a family of artificial chemicals developed in the 1940s that are used in a wide variety of products from cookware to makeup to firefighting foam and have been linked to liver cancer, thyroid cancer and low birth weights.

A pressing issue for the committee is funding water treatment projects meant to address dangerous levels of PFAS in Minnesota drinking water. Bonding requests relating to PFAS this session total $89 million from Apple Valley, Hastings, Oak Park Heights, Pease, Sauk Rapids and Stillwater, with other wastewater requests reaching nearly $250 million.

PFAS water contamination cleanup is estimated to cost $14 billion to $28 billion in Minnesota over the next 20 years, according to a 2023 Pollution Control Agency report.

“Right now our taxpayers are being held accountable,” said Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria).

She sponsors HF3322, which would raise funds for water infrastructure projects by establishing a 10-cent tax on plastic water bottles sold from distributors. The idea awaits action by the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee.

Funds raised from the bill would go to predesign, design, engineer, construct, equip, or furnish an eligible project, like water treatment facilities, sanitary sewer infrastructure or water towers.

The bill would sidestep the issue of funding water treatment projects through a bonding bill, which may or may not get passed this session.