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“We appreciate the DEP’s efforts to implement the soil and water testing mandated by LD 1600 passed last year. However, the state continues to have much work to do in order to address the PFAS crisis. We must turn off the tap of PFAS continuing to enter the environment that is adding to the burden of impacted communities and creating the next set of contaminated land, groundwater, and waterways.  DEP has dropped the ball on this already, failing to follow through on the 2019 authority granted by the legislature to eliminate PFAS from food packaging, a significant pathway for PFAS to enter compost and landfills.  If DEP had promptly followed the legislative directive, PFAS in packaging would have been banned on January 1, 2022.  Because of DEP’s inaction, the earliest this could now go into effect is early 2024. This is long after other states who have passed bills similar to Maine’s, and after Maine did.

While other states, including Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have taken action to set strict limits on the discharge of PFAS to waterways from wastewater treatment facilities and other dischargers. Maine DEP has instead argued that we should wait on the US EPA to take action before setting discharge limits. Given the ruin Maine farmers and Maine families have faced from unusable farm land and poisoned drinking water, waiting for inadequate federal actions is simply unacceptable.  Maine must do better.

Despite the lessons learned from Stoneridge Farm in Arundel and the widespread contamination in Fairfield, DEP continues to allow sludge that is known to be contaminated by PFAS to be applied to farm lands, and sold directly to landscapers and even at retail for home gardeners.  While DEP could use existing authority to address this, the legislature can also put an end to this practice by passing LD 1911 this session.

While DEP is moving to test potentially impacted farmland and water, DACF has failed to proactively address PFAS contamination of agricultural products. Despite having the data from DEP on where potentially contaminated farms are, DACF has failed to test the products from these farms or otherwise take action to protect the food supply. 

Finally, the state still does not have an adequate plan to address the financial losses and provide long term medical monitoring for farmers and families impacted by PFAS contamination. We must find a way to hold polluters, incoming the chemical manufacturers who hid the dangers of PFAS, accountable.  But we must also ensure that farmers who participated in a state program for sludge application that was promised to be safe aren’t left fiscally responsible for the resulting catastrophe. Meaningful assistance and compensation must be offered while efforts to seek justice from the polluters continue.”

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Defend Our Health, formerly known as the Environmental Health Strategy Center, is a nonprofit public health organization working to create a world where all people are thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly.