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It was a busy second session of the 130th Maine legislature! Defend worked hard with our friends in the legislature to move policy that will help protect Mainers from exposure to toxic chemicals. We had an incredibly successful session, passing first-in-the-nation legislation banning sludge spreading, advocating for protections for our tribal neighbors, and working to make sure everyone has access to safe drinking water. 

We worked closely with Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren) on legislation to ban the land application of PFAS-contaminated sludge and sludge-derived compost. This first-in-the-nation legislation, LD 1911, will protect Maine’s farmland from further contamination. This legislation was strengthened and championed in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee by committee chairs Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Scarborough) and Rep Ralph Tucker (D-Brunswick). Senator Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) was the lead senate sponsor and helped champion the bill in the senate and foster bipartisan support. 

We partnered with Maine Farmers and Gardners Association (MOFGA) and Maine Farmland Trust to champion legislation, LD 2013, that will provide funding and medical monitoring to farmers who have been impacted by the PFAS crisis. Members of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, including Sen. Jim Dill (D-Penobscot and Reps. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren) and Maggie O’Neil (D-Saco) worked hard to draft a comprehensive bill. LD 2013 enjoyed unanimous support in both the House and Senate and was funded in the budget for $60M, which will be used to help farmers and well owners across the state deal with the impacts of PFAS contamination.

Landfill leachate is contributing PFAS contamination in the Penobscot River, which is of particular concern to our friends in the Penobscot Nation for whom the river is a vital resource and is of important cultural significance. We worked with the Penobscot Nation and Rep. Stanley Paige Zeigler (D-Montville) on legislation, LD 1875, that requires the state to study the best way to treat landfill leachate at state-run landfills for PFAS to prevent PFAS contamination further down the waste stream. The state is required to come up with recommendations for treatment and present them to the legislature next session. LD 1875 passed unanimously out of committee and was adopted unanimously in both chambers.

Finally, we worked with Rep. Jessica Fay (D-Raymond) on LD 1891. LD 1891 provides funding to the Maine Housing Authority’s well water abatement program. This program helps low-income Mainers pay for remediation of their residential wells if those wells have tested above screening standards for arsenic, radon, mercury, and other contaminants. Senator Stacey Guerin (R-Penobscot) helped champion the bill in the labor and housing committee. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and will provide an additional $500K to the program.