A delegation from Massachusetts will visit Maine to learn more about how to address forever chemical contamination on agricultural land. (Photo by Getty Images)
A group of Massachusetts lawmakers, officials and advocates are visiting Maine on Tuesday to learn more about how to prevent further contamination from so-called forever chemicals.
Maine is regarded as a national leader for its work to implement policies that stymie the spread of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, which is a known carcinogen linked to an array of health issues. In addition to responding to high levels of PFAS in agricultural land from the historic spreading of sewage sludge, Maine was the first state to pass a rule requiring manufacturers to report intentionally added PFAS in products.
“Maine has led the way and we continue to lead the way,” said Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren), who chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, who will be among the Maine lawmakers hosting the Bay State delegation.
Earlier this year, the Maine Legislature also worked on proposals to expand testing for contaminants in private wells and rid the state of PFAS-laden firefighting foam, which is another significant source of contamination. Some of those proposals won’t be finalized until the next legislative session, which starts in January.
Similarly, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a law earlier this year to phase out the use of PFAS in protective gear for firefighters. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection also set PFAS drinking water standards in late 2020.
The Massachusetts delegation will start their day with a visit to a farm in Arundel that has been affected by PFAS contamination, followed by discussions with other farmers, advocates and Maine legislators in Augusta. The meeting was borne out of work between the Portland-based public health nonprofit Defend Our Health and a new national coalition called Sludge-Free Land, Pluecker said.
Maine Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-York) and Assistant House Majority Leader Lori Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach) will be joining Pluecker on Tuesday along with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, as well as Defend Our Health and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
While PFAS contamination is ubiquitous throughout the nation, the story in these two states is linked because the Vermont-based waste management company Casella imported sludge from Massachusetts and processed it in Maine before spreading it on agricultural fields as fertilizer, Pluecker explained.
Adam Nordell, campaign manager with Defend Our Health, said Massachusetts’ sludge is still being brought into Maine to be composted, but because Maine banned the land application of sludge in 2022, it is now being sent back out of state. Maine was the first state to impose such a ban.
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Nordell hopes the visit can spur a more regional discussion about addressing these toxic chemicals because “PFAS doesn’t necessarily respect property boundaries or state boundaries.”
Massachusetts Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) is currently sponsoring a bill that would ban the application of biosolids on land, as well as establish a fund to support farmers whose land has been affected or who would be impacted by increased fertilizer costs due to such a ban. The proposal also seeks to support municipalities in reducing sludge volume.
“Maine has led the nation in addressing and preventing further PFAS contamination on agricultural land while supporting impacted farms,” Comerford said. “I’m grateful to the legislators, agency officials, farmers, and advocates from both Maine and Massachusetts who will spend the day together learning about and discussing Maine’s approach and how we can embark on this work now in Massachusetts.”
Underscoring the importance of addressing contamination at its source, Pluecker said that more recent efforts in Maine to address PFAS in drinking water and private wells all trace back to sludge application.
Much of the progress made in Maine on PFAS stems from a task force, established by a 2019 executive order from Gov. Janet Mills, to determine the extent of forever chemical contamination in the state. It was also responsible for developing ways to protect Mainers from exposure to PFAS, which have been linked to serious long-term health problems including cancer, weakened immune systems, developmental issues, and more.
Maine has led the way and we continue to lead the way.
– Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren)
Two years later, the state allocated $60 million dollars for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to develop a program to address agricultural land that was contaminated by the spread of sewage sludge.
In May, Mills signed a bill to codify the programs supporting farms with high levels of PFAS into state law to ensure the support for farmers and remediation can continue.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, 90 Maine farms have been affected by PFAS chemicals to varying degrees through sludge application or other sources.
Nordell lost his own farm to the toxic contamination, but he said most of those farms have been able to keep operating because the Legislature took action to support them. Maine’s success story shows that addressing PFAS contamination is “critically important and totally attainable,” he added.
He hopes the delegation walks away from Tuesday’s visit feeling like “this is a problem they can afford to address.”
“If Maine can do that, then a state like Massachusetts can do it, too,” Nordell said.
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