A group of Massachusetts lawmakers traveled to Maine on Tuesday to learn about the state's efforts to address PFAS pollution and to discuss possible regional collaboration on regulating the "forever chemicals."
Maine has passed some of the most aggressive laws in the nation regulating PFAS ever since the industrial chemicals began showing up in tests of farm fields, wells and public drinking water systems across the state. As concern grows about contamination in Massachusetts, state lawmakers said Tuesday that they are looking to Maine for guidance when crafting their own regulations on the use of human sludge, or "biosolids," as fertilizer and phasing out PFAS in products.
"I've long understood Maine's leadership nationally and internationally on the issue of banning PFAS, banning biosolids application ... and supporting farmers," said Massachusetts state Sen. Jo Comerford, a Democrat who represents the Worcester area. "But today I leave with a renewed fire in my belly that in Massachusetts, we have to turn off the tap on PFAS. We must follow Maine."
PFAS, which is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of industrial chemicals that have been widely used for decades in consumer products and manufacturing. But the chemical attributes that make PFAS so useful in products — such as nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics and firefighting foam — also mean they do not break down easily in the environment or the body, hence the nickname "forever chemicals." Some types of PFAS have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, low birth weight and other health issues.
About 20 lawmakers, legislative staff and state agency workers from Massachusetts traveled to Maine on Tuesday to meet with farmers affected by the chemicals as well as policymakers. Groups that are heavily involved in PFAS issues in Maine, such as Defend Our Health and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, were also involved in organizing events and participating in discussions. The group toured a dairy farm in Arundel, Stoneridge Farm, that helped to catapult the issue into the public consciousness in Maine after extremely high levels of PFAS were found in the farm's soil, milk and drinking water nearly a decade ago.
Since then, Maine has banned the land application of sludge — the primary source of PFAS on some farms in Maine — as well as set up programs to assist farmers whose land was contaminated by the state-licensed biosolids program. Maine has also adopted stricter limits on the chemicals in drinking water and passed a first-in-the-nation law regulating PFAS in products, although implementation of parts of that law has been delayed amid push-back from the business community.
"What I've seen is that Maine's work to combat PFAS in recent years has been a journey marked by listening, collaborating and acting decisively," said Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel. "We're all in this together and it takes a lot of different interests and a lot of different people to make a positive difference in our state."
The Trump administration has already delayed and suggested it may roll back stricter drinking water standards on certain types of PFAS. The administration has also proposed slashing budgets at the Environmental Protection Agency as well as federal drinking water programs.
So attendees of Tuesday's tour said the uncertainty at the federal level highlights the need for states to continue pushing and collaborating on the issue.
"I hope us coming to Maine is an indication that Massachusetts — the lawmakers there and the (state) agency officials — also want to join Maine, to lock arms with Maine and other New England states and then states around the country, to tackle this," Comerford said.
"We have seen an administration in the last seven months that has been unpredictable on a good day, so we cannot anticipate what might be coming down the pike," said Maine Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach. "But we will not be waiting for the federal government. We will be moving forward."
