Maine regulators have approved new rules advocates said could offer a financial lifeline to Maine farms contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Under a measure authorized by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the state will open a competitive bidding process to develop nearly 600,000 megawatts of new clean power, equal to 5% of Maine retail electricity sales in 2021.
The process will prioritized proposed developments sited on agricultural land tainted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. The industrial chemicals have long been used in a wide range of products but have been linked to human health problems including cancer, kidney malfunction and low birth weight.
More than 50 Maine farms have been found to have unsafe levels of PFAS in water and soil. Some farms have had to stop selling produce, milk, eggs and meat from their land.
The commission rule emerged from a law the Legislature passed last year.
Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association said the new rule could help those farmers with a new source of revenue while also moving the state towards its greenhouse gas emissions targets.
"We’ve heard of course that we need more renewable energy projects in order to meet our climate goals but also we know that there are many farmers in Maine who have been devastated with PFAS contamination and now have lands they cannot reap economic benefit from," Donoghue said.
Maine has set aside $70 million to assist farmers affected by PFAS contamination.
Land considered for renewable energy projects will have to have a contamination confirmed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
