Take Action on "Forever Chemicals" and our Environment

A main focus for your Outreach Steering Committee in 2022 is the very broad topic of climate change, including its ramifications for environmental justice and racial justice. As many of you know, Broad Bay has been a pick-up site for a Community Supported Agriculture program (Daybreak Growers Alliance) since June 2021. At least two of the many farms in Daybreak have discovered that their soils were contaminated decades ago (under previous owners) when sludge from municipal sewage and wastewater plants was spread on their land or nearby land. Testing at Songbird Farm, Unity, and New Beat Farm, Knox, has shown high levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known as the "forever chemical," in both soil and water. PFAS and similar compounds are in thousands of consumer products, including some nonstick cookware, textiles that are water- or stain-resistant, cosmetics, firefighting foam, even microwave pocorn bags. They have been linked to health problems such as cancer, immune system suppression, kidney problems, and reproductive as well as developmental issues. While the Maine Legislature led the nation with a law passed in July 2021 to ban use of these chemicals by 2030, the extent of the existing problem is just starting to come into focus.

Both Songbird and New Beat farms are run by extremely hard-working couples with young children. All products from the farms have been taken off the market. The future of their farm life is uncertain; at a time when they would have been preparing to plant the season's crops, they are scrambling to get more information about these insidious chemicals (different crops have different uptakes) and figuring out how to survive economically and how to protect their families' health. It's heart-breaking that these farmers, who are committed to organic practices, have discovered that after years of working their land, it contains poisons. Although about 500 Maine sites have been identified as having had sludge applications, the extent of the problem in our state (and throughout the country) is not known; there are maps that show identified sludge-spreading sites at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website: 
https://maine.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=815b4093464c405daf7a17e43a1d9da7

Please read about the issue and support (call or write/email your legislators) two bills in the Maine Legislature:
LD 1911, which would close loopholes in the state's ban on land-based sludge spreading. (The bill was introduced by Rep. Bill Pluecker, Warren, who operates Hatchet Cove Farm.)

LD 1875, which would stop Casella Waste Systems and the ND Mill from dumping PFAS-laden landfill leachate into the Penobscot River, upstream from the Penobscot Nation. There is concern among some legislators about the costs associated with LD1875; the continued costs to the environment and to the indigenous community area already are too high! This truly is an issue about which citizens/ voters need to speak out.

There is more information on the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners website: https://www.mofga.org/advocacy/take-action-on-pfas/

Here is a link to a multi-farm PFAS Emergency Fund administered by MOFGA and Maine Farmland Trust:
https://www.mofga.org/support-the-pfas-emergency-fund/

Lincoln County representatives (more at legislature.maine.gov):
Jeffrey.Evangelos@legislature.maine.gov. (I-Friendship, towns of Friendship/part of Union/Waldoboro/ Washington) 832-7378

Michael.Lemelin@legislature.maine.gov (R-Chelsea, towns of Chelsea/Jefferson/part of Nobleboro/ Whitefield) 798-9399

Knox County representatives (more at legislature.maine.gov): Bill.Pluecker@legislature.maine.gov (I-Warren, towns of Appleton/Hope/Warren?part of Union) 273-3044