$1.6 Million for Maine PFAS Treatment Facility Secured by Senator Collins

Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that she secured $1,600,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 Interior Appropriations bill to support the installation of a PFAS treatment system at the Anson Madison Sanitary District wastewater treatment facility, which will serve the entire State of Maine.  

The omnibus funding package passed the House and the Senate and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“Unfortunately, Maine has experienced considerable PFAS contamination, which has not only threatened our water supply, but adversely affected the livelihoods of farmers,” said Senator Collins.  “Farmers across Maine are discovering PFAS contamination that is not only affecting their livelihoods, but also threatening our food supply.  In addition to these environmental threats to Maine’s family farms, we now also know that PFAS appears in drinking water and in products across the spectrum—even cosmetics.”

“I strongly advocated for the funding for the construction of this treatment system, which will help Maine address the PFAS contamination threat to our communities statewide and ensure a safe food and water supply,” Senator Collins continued.  

Maine currently lacks the necessary infrastructure for PFAS remediation, particularly in the area of animal manure treatment and disposal.  Dairy farms with PFAS contaminated milk also have contaminated manure that wastewater treatment facilities will not currently accept without first acquiring enhanced PFAS filtering technology. Without any suitable options for disposal of contaminated manure, this raises a severe threat for uncontrolled releases when manure pits become full.  The best long-term solution is off-site treatment at wastewater treatment facilities and disposal at secured landfills.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection will use this funding Senator Collins secured to design and install a PFAS treatment system at the Anson Madison Sanitary District wastewater treatment facility.  This facility would serve the entire State of Maine and safely address PFAS contamination in the state.

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PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals—sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals”—that can bioaccumulate in bodies over time.  They are traditionally found in food packaging, nonstick pans, clothing, furniture, and firefighting foam and have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, decreased fertility, and hormone disruption.  

Senator Collins has helped lead Congress’ work on a bipartisan basis to address PFAS contaminants and conduct environmental remediation when needed.  Last February, Senator Collins co-sponsored the Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act, which would help protect firefighters, emergency responders, and communities from exposure to PFAS. This legislation passed the Senate in July 2021.

In May 2021, Senator Collins and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Council on PFAS, highlighting Maine’s extensive and unfortunate history with PFAS issues and urging the Council to work with the State of Maine on remediation.  Also in April, the Senate passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 with an amendment co-sponsored by Senator Collins to allow states to assist more households impacted by unregulated contaminants like PFAS.  Additionally, Senator Collins joined a group of colleagues in calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to set standards on PFAS found in bottled water to ensure bottled water products are safe for drinking.

The fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act authorized additional funding for research on the health impacts of PFAS, including an adopted amendment Senator Collins co-sponsored with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) authorizing an additional $15 million for the PFAS study being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In June 2021, Senator Collins introduced the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act, which would ban the inclusion of PFAS chemicals in cosmetics products, such as make-up, moisturizer, and perfume. 

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