US Bancorp ranked very high for disclosure while 3M, which has participated in numerous state ballot measures and doesn’t disclose many political transactions, ranked near the bottom.
As Congress draws nearer to considering three new free trade agreements, union members are putting pressure on their congressional representatives to oppose them, arguing that they’d cost the state more manufacturing jobs, even as corporate supporters see new hope for quick passage.
For decades, 3M has manufactured perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, in the broader Twin Cities area. The chemicals, used in a variety of 3M products, including fire retardants and paint, have left a toxic legacy: contamination of drinking wells and the Mississippi River. That pollution, at issue in a recently filed state lawsuit, is drawing attention to the broader impacts of industry in the area: One community group is asking the state Pollution Control Agency (PCA) to take into account the total effect of industrial pollution on community health as Minnesota revises several of 3M’s environmental permits.
By avoiding disclosure required of direct donations, TCF has largely shielded itself from the kind of scrutiny Target and Best Buy have received for their political contributions.
In the new 2011 Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign, three Minnesota corporations’ ratings were decreased due to political activity: Target, Best Buy and 3M.
Target’s gift of $150,000 to MN Forward, a Republican-run independent expenditure group that backs Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, has sparked outrage among progressives. The resulting boycotts, protests and bad press Target has endured may have prevented some companies from making such political contributions. But one Minnesota corporation is uncowed in giving to the group. According to new campaign disclosures, 3M has given $100,000 to MN Forward, significant public backlash has yet to materialize.
Despite public backlash against Target Corporation’s political donations to a Republican-run independent expenditure committee that is backing GOP-endorsed candidate Tom Emmer for governor, other Minnesota businesses continue to contribute to the very same group, MN Forward — including 3M, which gave the group $100,000.
More than 2 million pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into Minnesota’s waterways during 2007, according to a new report (pdf) by Environment Minnesota. 3M was by far the most prolific dumper of pollutants, with more than 1…
Reading between the lines suggests that Norm Coleman’s sights are firmly set on starting a federal-court fight to win his return to the U.S. Senate seat — and that at least one local corporate leader thinks he’s still occupying…
Teflon and Scotchgard both belong to a family of chemicals known as PFOAs, or perfluorooctanoic acids. They are known for their resistance to sticking and staining, but more is being learned about these chemicals in the environment, their…
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