Conversations during Massachusetts’ delegation trip to Maine highlight the importance of urgent and regional action to address PFAS contamination in agriculture
(Augusta, Maine) — On Tuesday, August 12, a delegation from Massachusetts, including legislators, agency officials, and advocates, visited Maine to speak with farmers and well-owners impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”) contamination and learn from Maine legislators and agency officials regarding their nation-leading work to enact strong policies protecting soil, water, and food from further contamination.
Maine was the first state in the country to investigate the impacts of sewage sludge applications on farmland. In response to widespread PFAS contamination, the state has enacted strong policies to protect soil and food from further contamination and provided critical assistance to keep PFAS-impacted farms safely in business.
At their first stop, Maine Senator Henry Ingwersen (D-Arundel) hosted the Massachusetts delegation in his district at the first farm to bring PFAS contamination to light in Maine, Stoneridge Farm in Arundel. Owner and advocate Fred Stone spoke with
the delegation about the extraordinary ongoing work and financial and emotional burdens placed on him and his family to remediate the significant PFAS contamination at their dairy farm, and why he believes a comprehensive state response with financial support for farmers is essential to maintaining a strong and safe local food system.
“Maine’s work to combat PFAS in recent years has been marked by listening, collaborating and acting decisively. For me, this work began right in my hometown of Arundel with the heartbreaking story of Stoneridge Dairy Farm,” said Ingwersen. “As our friends in Massachusetts chart their own journey to pass legislation that takes on PFAS, I’m glad they got to see where my work started, talk with the folks who have led the fight here and can head home with a sense of how Maine has led the nation in tackling this threat to public health and agriculture.”
“Since the PFAS crisis first came to our attention, Maine has been an international leader in combating this issue,” said Maine State Rep. Lori Gramlich. “We know that exposure to these so-called ‘forever chemicals’ has serious, lasting adverse health and environmental impacts. Now, more than ever, it is crucial for state leaders to come together as the federal government dismantles longstanding environmental protections. I look forward to working closely with our counterparts in Massachusetts as they learn from our efforts and we work together to ensure a healthy, safe environment for all.”
“I am very excited to welcome our colleagues from Massachusetts to Augusta and to discuss the very real threat that ‘forever chemicals’ pose to our states and country,” said Maine State Rep. Bill Pluecker. “Maine is at the forefront of PFAS policymaking, so I am glad we are able to work with Massachusetts lawmakers to guide policymaking regionally and work to protect citizens of our two states. As a farmer, this issue is very personal and I will continue to fight for healthy, PFAS-free food supply chains for all Mainers.”
During a 3-hour working lunch and storytelling session at the Maine State House in Augusta, the delegation heard from and participated in roundtable discussions with impacted farmers, advocates, and Maine legislators and agency officials. Participants emphasized that solutions to PFAS contamination must center the communities experiencing the worst impacts — including farmers, farmworkers, and people in rural communities — and must be interdisciplinary and comprehensive in nature, bringing together stakeholders in medicine, public health, environmental justice, and agriculture and food safety. Maine’s nation-leading work on the issue offers a tested blueprint for states like Massachusetts to follow as we begin to address this national problem.
“From day one, Maine has led the way in protecting public health and the environment from toxic PFAS. The work we have done to safeguard our farmers and farmland serves
as a national model,” said Sarah Woodbury, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for Defend Our Health. “We are grateful that colleagues from Massachusetts took time out of their busy schedules to visit Maine to learn from our state legislators and agency
staff about what Massachusetts can do to follow Maine’s lead. Regional cooperation is crucial in this effort. We are all connected and must work together to implement policies that protect the public from PFAS exposure. We look forward to continuing this important work with our colleagues in Massachusetts.”
This trip is part of Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) and Representative James Arena-DeRosa’s (D-Holliston) ongoing work on S.56/H.109, An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination, a bill pending in the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries which offers a policy response, based on Maine’s work, to PFAS contamination in Massachusetts.
“We learned that the impact of PFAS laden fertilizer on some farmers has been catastrophic. As a legislature we need to proceed in a thoughtful manner, with farmers, scientists and policymakers at the table, so our state plan will protect public health and the food supply, while at the same time supporting the future viability of Massachusetts farmers,” said Arena-DeRosa.
“For decades, sewage sludge — a byproduct of wastewater treatment — has been marketed as a safe, affordable, and sustainable fertilizer. But farmers in Maine have shared heartbreaking, firsthand accounts showing that its use can contaminate farmland, food, water, animals, and people with dangerous toxins like PFAS,” said Comerford. “I am profoundly grateful to Representatives Pluecker and Gramlich and Senator Ingwersen for lending their expertise, and to my Massachusetts colleagues for their tireless commitment to this issue. Maine’s leadership has shown us that with a coordinated state response, we can address PFAS contamination in ways that safeguard farmers, protect public health, and preserve both for generations to come.”
As Massachusetts conducts its own investigation into PFAS-contamination on farms and works to achieve stronger protections and support for communities facing PFAS contamination, this trip provided an important opportunity to learn from Maine’s experience, bring those lessons home, and highlight the importance of regional cooperation and partnership.
At the conclusion of the visit, Maine and Massachusetts legislators joined together to speak with the press, reflecting on the conversations throughout the day and highlighting the lessons that Massachusetts legislators, agency officials, and advocates will bring back to the Commonwealth.
A recording of this availability can be made available upon request.
