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3M: Hutchinson, Minnesota
3M: Letters from Congressman Minge to President Bill Clinton, Fred Hanson
David Minge
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
20 District, Minnesota
September 4, 1996
The Honorable William J. Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Clinton:
I write to convey my extraordinary disappointment with the progress of one of your environmental/Re-inventing Government initiatives, Project XL. Specifically, I am concerned about the Environmental Protection Agency's negative response to the Minnesota XL Permit and Final Project Agreement for the 3M facility located in Hutchinson, Minnesota.
You have on several occasions expressed your public support for the innovative Project XL. In fact, on Sunday, August 25, I read your comments in the Washington Post discussing XL where you noted "...we are working with more than 50 different companies now to devise a system in which they can, in effect, throw the EPA rule-book away if they agree to let us test on a regular basis to see that they're meeting the same or higher environmental standards." I also know that you have mentioned XL in your new book and that the Democratic platform mentions it as well.
However, to date, the rhetoric in support of XL has not matched the reality. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has indicated they are walking away from this project. 3M is sure to follow. As the first awarded XL project, it would be most unfortunate if the effort ended in failure.
The successful implementation of 3M's Project XL permit is a key test to this important "Reinventing Government" initiative. What is most frustrating for me is that all of the stakeholder groups in Minnesota are united in support of 3M's permit. This group includes Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. They all agree that 3M's proposal is worthy and that basic health protections are protected even if 3M does not achieve all goals. The primary problem appears to be a part of the EPA that is unable or unwilling to experiment with a new regulatory framework as envisioned by XL.
I am concerned that the administration is heading toward a public relations disaster. On August 28, the Minneapolis Star Tribune published a story critical of the progress on XL. The Associated Press has run a similar story that has appeared in newspapers in my district. I have also learned that other companies are considering withdrawing from XL. Without your leadership, I believe that this effort is destined to fail. Despite discussions with Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen, to date, I have not had the kind of success I had hoped. Enclosed are copies of letters I sent to Administer Browner and Deputy Administrator Hansen. I want to work with you to ensure the success of this valuable initiative.
I appreciate your efforts and look forward to a successful Project XL program.
Sincerely,
DAVID MINGE
Member of Congress
DM:jem
enclosures
cc: The Honorable Albert Gore, Jr., Vice President
Ms. Carol Browner, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency
DAVID MINGE
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
20 District, Minnesota
August 1, 1996
Fred Hansen
Deputy Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20460
RE: 3M Hutchinson, MN XL Permit
Dear Fred:
I want to follow up on our conversation from today. I was deeply upset to learn that the 3M Hutchinson Project XL permit process in which everyone had invested so much effort had begun to unravel with a fairly negative letter from EPA and adversarial negotiations.
The fact that the 3M permit application was developed in an extended public process and that it had support from state agencies and state environmental groups with established records of aggressive environmental protection enforcement action has indicated to me that the EPA position is unfortunate. Indeed, I understand that 3M has invested in advanced pollution control equipment and reduced emissions below federal standards.
I am pleased to know that you have personally been involved in this extremely important matter and that steps are being taken to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. As I mentioned on the telephone, if there is any sign that this effort is unraveling, I wish to provide whatever personal assistance I can to ensure the successful resolution of this process.
I appreciate your efforts and look forward to a successful EPA Project XL program.
Sincerely,
DAVID MINGE
Member of Congress
DM:jem