AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel, House Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, and Rep. Bill Pluecker, I-Warren, met at the State House with a visiting delegation of lawmakers and officials from Massachusetts to discuss Maine’s efforts to combat PFAS contamination in the state.
The group, which was also joined by members of the Maine advocacy organization Defend Our Health, toured Stoneridge Farm, a dairy farm in Arundel that was the first in the state to be shut down due to PFAS. There was also a roundtable discussion with advocates and policymakers. As Massachusetts lawmakers seek solutions to PFAS contamination in their own state, the discussion focused on how Maine has taken decisive, nation-leading action to protect the health of its residents from these toxic chemicals.
“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 Sen. 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 Rep. 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 Rep. 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.”
In Maine, the Legislature has taken significant steps to limit PFAS exposure in the state, including passing landmark legislation that would phase out the sale of products containing PFAS, end the use of fire-suppressing foam containing PFAS, mirror current federal drinking water standards, improve testing of soil and groundwater and inform owners of private drinking wells which test positive for PFAS of the resources that are available to them.
Contact:
Ben Barry (Ingwersen) | (401) 702-3628
Brian Lee (Gramlich, Pluecker) | (305) 965-2744