Legislative committee unanimously supports bill to make significant investment in PFAS clean-up for Maine farms

Sens. Dill, Brenner, Curry applaud effort to address this major problem

AUGUSTA — On Thursday, the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee voted in favor of LD 2013, “An Act Relating to Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Contamination in the State.” An amended version of the bill, which would create a PFAS advisory committee and make a $100 million investment in PFAS testing and remediation, received a unanimous vote of approval.

“There’s no question that PFAS contamination is hurting our farms and hardworking farmers. Even beyond worrying about the health of their land, they’re worried about their own health. It’s an incredible amount of stress, and Maine must step up to help them,” said Sen. Jim Dill, D-Old Town, who serves as chair of the committee and presented the bill. “LD 2013 represents a clear commitment to cleaning up these dangerous chemicals, supporting our farmers and protecting our environment. I’m proud of the true yeoman’s work the committee put into this bill.”

“Being a farmer is a constant process of being humbled. What takes the wind from a farmer’s sail is usually an unknown but predictable variable: drought, hurricane, pest pressure. With PFAS contamination, the rollercoaster farmers are accustomed to now become a whole new ride,” said Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, who co-owns Broadturn Farm. “As we have all been learning about the scope of PFAS contamination on farms, it is evident to me that the State has an undeniable responsibility to make this right. Maine has embraced the need to support farm businesses as an investment in our strong economy as well as an important way of life. We need to continue that support by passing LD 2013.”

“There are farmers in Waldo County and across Maine who have shut down because of PFAS contamination. These are farmers who have put everything they have into their farms for years, sometimes generations. Farms that might have been spread with municipal and industrial sludge thirty years ago are testing extremely high today,” said Sen. Chip Curry, D-Belfast. “Without timely testing and research on alternative crops, these farmers are stuck waiting on the science and our testing capacity to catch up to their needs. No one should be afraid of testing their land and water because the results could devastate their livelihood. We need to invest resources to help Maine farmers; these are hard-working families who deserve support from the State.”

As amended, LD 2013 would establish the Fund To Address PFAS Contamination within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the corresponding Advisory Committee on the Fund To Address PFAS Contamination to make recommendations to the department regarding the administration of the fund. The bill authorizes the department to allocate funds upon recommendation of the advisory committee and for certain purposes, including but not limited to monitoring the health of people in a household whose agricultural land is found to be contaminated by PFAS; conducting research; assisting an agricultural enterprise with land found to be contaminated by PFAS; funding for educational programs; and long-term monitoring of contaminated sites and establishing a corresponding centralized data repository. The bill also would provide one-time funding of $100 million to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land in Maine.

LD 2013 now faces votes in the Senate and House.