Maine looks to make polluters pay for farmland contaminated by ‘forever chemicals’

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Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey announced over the weekend that he is preparing to file a lawsuit against producers of PFAS-containing industrial and municipal sewage sludge for use as agricultural fertilizer. PFAS is the term for a class of chemicals shown to be harmful to humans and that do not break down naturally in the environment, which has earned them the nickname ‘forever chemicals.’ Sludge is commonly used across America and recent reports suggest that as much as 20 million acres of American farmland could be contaminated by PFAS-laden sludge. The announcement by Maine’s head attorney follows passage of legislation prohibiting the use of sludge on Maine farmland. 

Sean Hoffmann

Former Federal Legislative Advocate, Environment America

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