In the Legislature, I proudly serve on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee (AFA), in which my colleagues and I make balanced, commonsense and practical decisions to invest in the people of Maine. These decisions include essential items, like keeping our schools safe and operational, or providing relief for working Mainers and their families who make do without a whole lot. In addition to this, we also address events or problems that demand funding. One such problem is widespread PFAS contamination, which we have been learning poses a serious threat to Maine’s economy, farms, public health, soils, water and wildlife. While the news and test results have been unsettling, I’ve never been one to give in to despair. AFA has already taken action, and we will continue to do so.
Last year we addressed PFAS mitigation when we worked on the biennial budget. To start, we allocated $10 million for the Department of Agriculture to abate, clean up, and mitigate hazards or threats posed by PFAS. Additionally, these funds could be used to support affected farms and PFAS research. Another $16 million for the Department of Environmental Protection went to testing for PFAS, treating water, and cleaning up waste sources. It’s critical for public health and wildlife that we know how much PFAS contamination is affecting our water supply.
We also worked on allocating the $1 billion that Maine received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). With those once-in-a-lifetime federal funds, my colleagues and I decided to address PFAS contamination. We allocated $25 million to the Department of Health and Human Services for improving public drinking water systems at Maine daycares and schools, which includes mitigating PFAS contamination in drinking water. This means that our children and young students can develop and learn without the health risks of unsafe PFAS levels in the water they drink. Currently, I’m looking forward to learning more about Gov. Mills’ change package. The package includes $60 million for establishing the Trust Fund to Address PFAS Contamination. This money would not only launch the Fund, but also explore additional federal and other sources for long-term funding. This is important because it will take many years to clean up PFAS contamination across the state.
Besides funding, the Legislature has been working on bills to reduce PFAS contamination. One bill, LD 1911, would ban the practice of spreading PFAS-contaminated sludge on clean farmland. This practice of using sludge as fertilizer was common because the danger of PFAS contamination wasn’t known. This work would build on the progress we made by banning PFAS from certain products being sold in Maine. Lastly, I’m looking forward to LD 2013, which would ensure $100 million in funding to our efforts to clean up PFAS across the state. It’s clear that we will need more resources to fix this crisis.
If you are a Maine farmer who has been affected by PFAS contamination and need some assistance, please contact Tricia Rouleau – who is the farm network director at Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) – at (207) 338-6575 or trouleau@mainefarmlandtrust.org. MFT and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners have set up an emergency relief fund to support farms that are dealing with PFAS contamination. To find additional information, please visit https://www.mainefarmlandtrust.org/farm-viability/pfas-emergency-relief-fund/.
You can also learn more about what the Department of Environmental Protection is doing by visiting https://www.maine.gov/dep/spills/topics/pfas/. If you have additional comments or questions, then please contact pfas.dep@maine.gov.
I know that PFAS are a real cause for concern and worry, but I want you to know that I will do all that I can to support you and your families while we work on this problem. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Donna.Bailey@legislature.maine.gov or my office at (207) 287-1515.
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