The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) said American Airlines has agreed to purchase and remove nearly 6,000 gallons of toxic firefighting foam from the former naval airbase.
It marks a significant milestone in the effort to clean up Brunswick Landing after a major spill of PFAS chemicals contaminated nearby wells and waterways last year.
"By this agreement that we had with American Airlines, they took all the remaining AFFF concentrate," said Dan Stevenson, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA). "We don't have any now in any of the facilities."
Stevenson said the airline approached the redevelopment authority a few weeks ago about purchasing the AFFF concentrate. American paid $250,000 for the material.
The authority will use the money to remove the residual concentrate from fire suppression systems, Stevenson said.
Under a new state law, MRRA must remove toxic firefighting foam by the end of the year. The authority also faces a December 2026 deadline to completely purge all fire suppressing foam residue from the premises.
In addition, the Legislature passed a bill this spring that requires Maine to create a statewide inventory of toxic firefighting foam at both public and privately-owned facilities, but Gov. Janet Mills has not yet signed the measure.
Maine lawmakers also did not set aside the $5 million needed to fund the inventory and AFFF buyback program, but they did allow the state to accept outside funding for the initiative should it become available.
