It has been just over a month since I was sworn into office as representative for House District 27. It is an honor and a privilege to be back serving our community in Scarborough and Gorham in this new capacity.
I’m particularly excited to serve on the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. I am deeply passionate about this subject area and have spent my entire adult life working to protect our environment and natural resources for the generations to come.
One issue that hit my desk immediately upon being sworn into office poses a grave threat to both human and environmental health.
Maine and communities across the country are grappling with the discovery of ubiquitous contamination of PFAS, a family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as “forever chemicals.”
So far, we believe that PFAS can disrupt the human endocrine system, may increase risk of certain cancers and reduce overall immune system function. Our understanding of the scope of contamination and options for remediation are still evolving at this point; however, my colleagues in the Legislature have been working hard to address what we can in the face of this emerging concern.
Knowledge of this issue became mainstream in 2019 when contamination on Fred and Laura Stone’s Arundel dairy farm forced the farm to shut down, causing immense financial and personal hardship. Since the Stones went public with these findings, various state agencies have partnered with private labs and farmers to identify PFAS contaminated areas.
PFAS are typically found on farms or in soils that have been spread with “sludge” or other biosolids as fertilizers. These toxic chemicals come from household and industrial waste and do not deteriorate with time, even when processed by wastewater treatment plants.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) has partnered with chemists, geologists, engineers and data techs to track and map PFAS contamination across the state. Focusing first on known sludge sites based on historical records, teams engage in on-site data collection efforts. This data will help inform remediation measures and risk assessments.
While data collection is ongoing, it is imperative that we codify an end to spreading this toxic sludge. One bill before my committee this session aims to do that. LD 1911 would prohibit the land application or distribution of sludge unless it has been tested for PFAS and it falls within allowable amounts as determined by the DEP.
As amended, another bill, LD 1875, directs the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services (BGS) to study methods to treat leachate, a liquid that has passed through matter and contains soluble or suspended solids.
The bill also directs the department to reduce the concentration of PFAS to the extent possible at the state-owned solid waste landfill. BGS will seek input from people who are directly affected by leachate from the landfill entering the Penobscot River, including members of the Penobscot Nation, as well as with the Maine DEP.
I am hopeful that this collaboration will help us keep our water and soil clean and will mitigate harmful impacts on communities throughout Maine.There is much work left to do to fully grasp this incredibly complex problem and to mitigate the human, environmental and economic threat the presence of PFAS poses to our state.
As my fourth grandchild came into the world last year, I was once again reminded of our duty to leave an environment that is safe and habitable for our children and our grandchildren. That is of the utmost importance to me and to my colleagues working on this issue. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this work.
Rep. Jim Boyle, D-Gorham, is serving his first term in the Maine House of Representatives and previously served two years in the Maine State Senate. He is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Contact him at Jim.Boyle@legislature.maine.gov.