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<br />An MPCA spokeswoman said in an email that all projects funded with <br />approved 3M money will be completed, calling 2027 a “conservative <br />estimate” of when the settlement will run out. <br />In a statement, a 3M spokesperson said the company has fully met its <br />obligations under the 2018 settlement to improve drinking water in the <br />east metro area, touting its investments in a water treatment system at its <br />Cottage Grove facility. <br />Now, the company has asked for an independent review of the state’s use <br />of settlement funds, the spokesperson said — including whether certain <br />projects meet the agreement’s standards. <br />“Through this review, 3M seeks to have the fund benefit as many <br />communities and residents in the East Metro as possible, consistent with <br />the original intent of both the State and 3M,” the statement reads. <br />But city leaders who have spent years attempting to rid their drinking water <br />of PFAS while minimizing the burden on taxpayers say the developments <br />are disappointing. <br />Lake Elmo senior project manager Jack Griffin described the struggle to get <br />3M on board like this: “It’s been just a constant fight.” <br />The March 7 email from the MPCA provided a routine update to a cluster of <br />suburbs that received 3M funds. <br />With the $850 million settlement rapidly dwindling, the MPCA noted it <br />ought to develop a plan to transition to an earlier agreement with the <br />company — “with buy-in from 3M, if possible.” <br />That agreement, known as the 2007 consent order, charged 3M with paying <br />for projects like the treatment of certain PFAS-tinged wells, freeing up more <br />money for remediation. <br />But, the email continued, “Unfortunately, at this time 3M objects.”