Led by Sen. Susan Collins (R) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D), Maine’s Congressional delegation has joined together to introduce a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation aimed at providing assistance to farmers impacted by “forever chemicals.”
Sen. Angus King (I) and Rep. Jared Golden (D) are both original co-sponsors of the legislation.
Under the proposed bill, the federal government would be authorized to send grants to states so that they could give financial assistance to farmers impacted by PFAS, expand monitoring and testing, remediate the presence of PFAS, or even help farmers to relocate.
A task force would also be created within the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the purpose of identifying other programs under their purview to which PFAS contamination should be added as an “eligible activity.”
This group would also be responsible for providing technical assistance to states to help them coordinate their responses to the problem effectively.
Because of their chemical structure, PFAS are highly resistant to breaking down and can can cycle through soil, water, plants, animals, and people once they are released into the environment.
“USDA must provide support to our nation’s farmers, who through no fault of their own are at risk of losing their livelihoods,” said Sen. Collins in a statement shared Thursday.
“In the past, the federal government’s response has failed to keep pace with this growing problem,” she said. “Our bipartisan legislation would direct USDA to help by providing financial assistance and expanding PFAS monitoring and testing where it is needed most.”
“The PFAS crisis isn’t some theoretical or distant problem. It’s here, it’s growing, and it’s putting real pressure on farmers in Maine and across the country,” said Rep. Pingree, a longtime farmer and senior member of the House Agriculture Committee.
“For farmers already navigating thin margins, discovering ‘forever chemicals’ on their land can mean lost income, unusable land, and questions about the safety of their crops and livestock,” Pingree said. “They deserve federal support that matches the scale of the crisis. Our Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act creates a dedicated USDA program to test for contamination, compensate affected farmers, and advance the research and remediation strategies we need to protect our food supply and rural economies.”
“This bill is a critical step in giving farmers the tools to safeguard their operations while federal and state agencies work to fully confront PFAS,” she added.
“Maine’s hardworking farmers are losing crops, land, and their livelihoods to ‘forever chemicals’ at an alarming rate,” said Sen. King. “The Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act is a crucial step towards creating a federal safety net that provides impacted farms with financial relief.”
“The monitoring, testing, and remediation provisions would be a gamechanger in our work to protect Maine’s agricultural communities from PFAS contamination,” said King. “The state of Maine has been on the forefront of these efforts, but additional federal investments are vitally needed. I hope this bipartisan, bicameral legislation receives broad support across Congress to protect the future of Maine farming.”
“As awareness of PFAS contamination has increased, Maine farmers have borne heavy costs to protect consumers from harmful chemicals,” Rep. Golden said. “The Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act will provide local farmers with the support they need to keep their lights on while continuing to mitigate risk and protect the public from a health issue that isn’t farmers’ fault.”
Earlier this year, the State of Maine awarded $3 million worth of grants to back research supporting farmers affected by PFAS contamination.
These grants were awarded to seven different projects, five of which are based out of the University of Maine.
For the other two, one project is spearheaded by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and another is based out of Harvard University.
The goals of these projects range from offering farmers practical solutions for managing contaminated soil to developing “portable, farmer-friendly sensors” for PFAS testing directly on farms.
Until 2022 when the practice was banned, sludge from wastewater treatment plants was used as a fertilizer on many farms throughout the state, an attractive option for many due to its low cost. In fact, the state actively encouraged this practice.
Some of this sludge, however, contained PFAS, meaning that many farms throughout Maine are dealing with the complications of the resulting contamination.
