In 2023, Minnesota passed the strongest PFAS prevention legislation in the country as part of the omnibus environment, natural resources, climate, and energy finance and policy bill with bipartisan support and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz. The legislation was named Amara's Law after Amara Strande, a young woman who grew up in an area contaminated by PFAS and diagnosed with an exceedingly rare form of cancer. Amara advocated and testified in support of the bills banning all non-essential use of PFAS chemicals, requiring manufacturers who are selling products in Minnesota to disclose if PFAS chemicals are present, and to close a loophole in the 2019 bill that ended the use of PFAS in firefighting foam. In October 2023 Clean Water Action established the Amara Strande Advocacy Award in her honor, with the first honorees being her parents Dana and Michael and her sister Nora. Clean Water is continuing our work in Minnesota and nationwide to stop PFAS pollution at the source.
This document includes Amara's testimony in support of this legislation published with permission from her and her family, Clean Water Action's press release after the Omnibus bill successfully passed the Minnesota legislature, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency implementation timeline.
Download the original PFAS prevention package factsheet (2023)
