Daniel Stevenson was appointed the new executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority on Monday, taking the reins from Steve Levesque, who had served in an interim role in the wake of the resignation of former director Kristine Logan after the Aug. 19, 2024, toxic firefighting foam spill. 

He will be overseeing the cleanup of one of the worst environmental disasters in the state’s history.

The spill — which released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water — was the sixth-largest U.S. spill in 30 years, behind others in Florida, Alabama, Arizona (which had two larger spills) and Ohio.

On Stevenson’s first day in office, he met with The Times Record to outline his top priorities for remediation and eventual redevelopment at Brunswick Landing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

How does your previous experience position you well for this role?

I grew up in Westbrook and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maine at Orono, followed by a master’s in public administration from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.

My first job was in the planning department for the city of Lewiston. I then worked for the state government for just over a year under Sen. Angus King and for eight years under Gov. John Baldacci in the Department of Economic and Community Development. Later, I served as the economic director for the cities of Westbrook and Biddeford.

I prioritize public safety above all else. The Brunswick Naval Air Station poses an interesting challenge as a superfund site. I’m joining a team of seasoned staff members, and together, I’m confident that we can conduct meaningful economic development and remediation. 

You replaced Steve Levesque, interim director, after Kristine Logan’s October resignation. How do you plan to exert staying power in this position?

Steve will continue to serve as an adviser during my transition. As I become more familiar with my responsibilities, I will depend on him less, but I will always have access to him if needed. 

I don’t jump from job to job. When I commit to something, I’m all in. You’ll find I am a high-energy person who enjoys my work, especially as it relates to economic and community development. I thrive on interacting with the public and enjoy seeing positive developments, especially in technology. 

In this position, I’m excited about creating new businesses and jobs and contributing to the local economy. 

As the ground sediment thaws this spring, how will the long-term environmental impacts continue to be monitored?

A lot of the foam ended up in nearby storm drains. Eventually, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection hired Clean Harbors to clean it up, but it traveled all the way to Picnic Pond and beyond. 

As you know, the DEP continues to monitor wells, including private wells, and local water bodies quarterly. Understanding how PFAS moves through a water system and how seasonal changes impact it is still a gray area, but data collection is ongoing. 

Contextual note: Other organizations jumped into action to document the spill. Bigelow Laboratory, in partnership with Friends of Casco Bay, has regularly monitored PFAS levels across 80 sites since May 2023, including an additional eight in the wake of the Brunswick spill. This effort complements the data collection of the DEP, EPA and the Navy at Brunswick Naval Air Station. 

What is the projected timeline for the interim plan — wrapping up the root cause analysis, updating the foam system and installing wheeled fire extinguishers?

We are still waiting to receive Poole Associates’ root cause analysis, but we will make it publicly available as soon as possible. 

We are working with Eastern Fire, their parent company, APi National Service Group, and the Brunswick Fire Department. They need to sign off on our plan to reconfigure the foam actuation system’s infrared sensors so that when triggered, an alarm will go off, alerting the fire department to respond without extinguishing foam — like a manual pull station. Once that happens, we can turn off the systems in Hangars 5 and 6, remove the equipment, and make those updates.

The new 300-pound wheeled extinguishers to be installed should arrive by the end of March. They’ve already been ordered and are on the way. We verified with the manufacturer, Buckeye Fire Equipment, and the new extinguishing agent does not contain PFOS/PFAS forever chemicals. 

What does the bigger picture look like beyond remediation?

Right now, the most important priority is public safety, both in the immediate and long term. We must understand what regulatory agencies require to prepare this site for adaptive reuse and leasing. This will involve discussions with the agencies, and we will closely follow scientific guidelines.

This interim plan is our first step toward clearing aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) from the site. After that, we can turn our attention to redevelopment, which will require a lot of research and public input. An idea that Steve and I feel may be effective is hosting open houses in the future so that the community can get more involved. 

How do you plan to work with local government officials and community leaders to assure transparency in future efforts?

As with most things, you get the most reliable information directly from the source. That’s why I’m committed to working with the media to stop the spread of misinformation on social media and community boards. 

Working in municipal government, our records are open to the public. So, I’m used to an open-book policy. I’ve found that engaging early and transparently with the public is a great way to build trust. That means meeting with town officials residents, and partner organizations to learn from them and vice versa. 

Working for Biddeford, we had to deal with a lot of pushback surrounding the purchase of a waste incinerator. We prioritized transparency, even through delays, and now the site is being redeveloped into a parking garage. 

What do you hope to accomplish in this role?

I’m concerned about how we can continue to retain our youth in the state. With the outward migration of young people and the fact that we are still the oldest state in the nation, it’s crucial to think about what technologies we should invest in to foster the next generation of employers and employees. 

Brunswick Landing is full of potential. We can nurture young tech startups and businesses that move Maine into the 21st century. This could be ground zero for that transformation — we can make it happen. 

I have two adult daughters living and working in Maine, so I’m invested in achieving this goal. I always tell them: the private sector invests in communities that invest in themselves. It’s all about the cumulative effect of our efforts. 

Although the chemical release is unfortunate, things are coming together here. We will continue working with the Navy, EPA and DEP, putting science first in all our efforts — from release cleanup work and ongoing monitoring to redevelopment.

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