Committee supports Sen. Mike Tipping bill to protect residents from PFAS contamination at Juniper Ridge Landfill

AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, May 8, the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee endorsed a bill from Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono. LD 1604, “An Act to Protect Groundwater and Surface Waters from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Landfill Leachate,” seeks to protect residents from PFAS contamination in Old Town, Alton and the Penobscot Nation.

“I grew up and my parents still live on the Stillwater Branch of the Penobscot River. I’ve spent a significant portion of my live canoeing the river and walking along the shore,” said Sen. Tipping. “Today, there’s a new threat to our rivers, streams and groundwater. I am deeply concerned about the findings of PFAS contamination at Juniper Ridge, just up the river from my family home, as well as at landfills across the state of Maine. This bill will start to protect my family, as well as families near the landfill, from this contamination.”

As amended, LD 1604 would require the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to maintain a record of and annually report to the DEP data and information for leachate from Juniper Ridge Landfill.

It also would require the DEP to test and monitor the leachate from the landfill for the presence of PFAS. These test results would be publicly accessible and available on the DEP’s website. This way, the public and municipalities would have a better understanding of what’s going into their water.

Finally, it would give property owners next to the landfill the right to request free, one-time sampling, testing and analysis of their private drinking wells. If dangerous or elevated levels of PFAS are detected, then the DEP will conduct additional testing. It would give residents the opportunity to learn about and address their potential exposure to PFAS contamination before it harms their health.

LD 1604 builds on Sen. Tipping’s work to protect the Penobscot River from pollution, including working with environmental groups and the Penobscot Nation to hold the Mallinckrodt Corporation responsible for dumping tons of mercury in the river. Three years ago, they finally reached a legal settlement forcing them to pay for the largest citizen-initiated ecosystem-wide cleanup in history.

In testimony at the public hearing, West Old Town resident Ed Spencer told the Committee, “Since landfills are known to be hotspots of PFAS contamination, abutters and neighbors of landfills need to be able to trust their private water wells. LD 1604 requires that wells will be tested upon request to the DEP and that this information will protect the citizens and hopefully alert others that there is a problem before it grows.”

In the coming weeks, the Committee will schedule a work session for LD 1604.

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