PFAS, or “forever chemicals” as they’re often called, have persisted their way into water, air, fish, soil, people and animals all over the country. They’ve been linked to several serious health problems including cancer. It’s a widespread problem that’s led many states to pursue legislation that would block their continued use.
Minnesota’s Amara’s Law, which was passed in 2023 and took effect at the beginning of 2025, is one of the most aggressive examples of pushing back against PFAS. The law bans all non-essential use of PFAS and requires manufacturers to disclose if PFAS are present in any products they plan on selling in Minnesota.
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Now a group representing the cookware industry, one of the key consumer products targeted by the law, has filed a lawsuit to block it. According to MPR, the Cookware Sustainability Alliance (CSA) this week filed a complaint against Katrina Kessler, the commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The CSA alleges that Amara’s Law is unconstitutional and unenforceable. Or, as Law Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg explained to the publication, the CSA is saying that the hassles this law will create for businesses greatly outweigh the potential health benefits.
The CSA has been busy lately fighting off similar PFAS legislation in other states. In New York, the organization managed a carveout for cookware from the state’s PFAS bill after meeting with several members of the state senate and house of representatives. In California, the CSA teamed up with California Chamber of Commerce, the California Business Roundtable, the American Chemistry Council, and the California Manufacturing and Technology Association to fight off multiple attempts to ban cookware using PTFE, a subgroup of PFAS.
It’s unclear if the CSA will have the same success in Minnesota but the MPCA sounded confident that the law would stand.
“It is estimated Minnesota taxpayers will have to spend $28 billion in the next 20 years to remove PFAS from wastewater and landfill leachate in the state. We simply cannot clean our way out of this problem,” the group told MPR in a statement.
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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0
00:00.009 --> 00:05.559
P PFAS, or forever chemicals, as they're often
called, have persisted their way into water,
00:05.800 --> 00:09.960
fish, air, soil, people and animals all over
the country.
00:10.279 --> 00:13.729
They've been linked to several serious health
problems, including cancer.
00:13.989 --> 00:19.459
It's a widespread problem that's led many
states to pursue legislation that would block
00:19.459 --> 00:22.290
their continued use.
Minnesota's Ameras Law,
00:22.379 --> 00:26.729
which was passed in 2023 and took effect at the
beginning of 2025,
00:26.840 --> 00:30.579
is one of the most aggressive examples of
pushing back against PFAS.
00:30.780 --> 00:36.779
The law bans all nonessential use of P PFAS and
requires manufacturers to disclose if PFAs are
00:36.779 --> 00:40.029
present in any products they plan to sell in
Minnesota.
00:40.220 --> 00:42.759
Now a group representing.
The cookware industry,
00:43.090 --> 00:45.959
one of the key consumer products targeted by
the law,
00:46.209 --> 00:49.419
has filed a lawsuit to block it.
According to NPR,
00:49.650 --> 00:55.319
the Cookware Sustainability Alliance this week
filed a complaint against Katrina Kessler,
00:55.549 --> 00:58.889
the commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency.
00:59.009 --> 01:04.000
The CSA alleges that Amera's law is
unconstitutional and unenforceable,
01:04.290 --> 01:08.489
or as law professor Mehmet Konar Steenberg
explained to the publication.
01:08.779 --> 01:14.400
The CSA is saying that the hassles this law
will create for businesses greatly outweigh the
01:14.400 --> 01:18.120
potential health benefits.
The CSA has been busy lately fighting off
01:18.120 --> 01:21.680
similar PFAS legislation in other states.
In New York,
01:21.720 --> 01:26.440
the organization managed a carve out for
cookware from the state's PFAS bill after
01:26.440 --> 01:29.360
meeting with several members of the state
Senate and House.
01:29.443 --> 01:34.233
Of Representatives in California, the CSA
teamed up with the California Chamber of
01:34.233 --> 01:38.943
Commerce, the California Business Roundtable,
the American Chemistry Council,
01:39.233 --> 01:44.953
and the California Manufacturing and Technology
Association to fight off multiple attempts to
01:44.953 --> 01:51.475
ban cookware using PTFE, a subgroup of PFAS.
It's unclear if the CSA will have the same
01:51.475 --> 01:56.695
success in Minnesota, but the MPCA sounded
confident that the law would stand.
01:56.786 --> 02:02.185
It is estimated Minnesota taxpayers will have
to spend $28 billion in the next 20 years to
02:02.185 --> 02:06.055
remove PFAS from wastewater and landfill
leachate in the state.
02:06.225 --> 02:10.735
We simply cannot clean our way out of this
problem, the group told NPR in a statement.
02:11.065 --> 02:13.186
I'm Ben Munson, and this is manufacturing now.
