PFAS bill targets management of sewage sludge

Boston Globe

20 hours ago

'I've long understood Maine's leadership, nationally and internationally, on the issue of banning PFAS, banning biosolids, centering farms, and supporting farmers,' Comerford told reporters outside the Maine State House in Augusta Tuesday afternoon.
'I leave with a renewed fire in my belly that in Massachusetts, we have to turn off the tap for PFAS,' the Northampton Democrat added. 'We must follow Maine. There is a saying in Massachusetts, 'Where goes Maine, there goes the nation.' And so in Massachusetts, we must ban PFAS.'
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The US Environmental Protection Agency on its website promotes the land application of sewage sludge, outlining environmental benefits such as 'improved soil health, carbon sequestration, and reduced demand on non-renewable resources like phosphorus.' The EPA says it defines biosolids as sewage sludge that's been treated and meets regulatory standards to be used as fertilizer.
Still, PFAS are 'nearly universal' within the chemicals that the EPA detects in wastewater sludge, according to the Maine Morning Star.
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When PFAS enter soil that is used to grow crops, the contamination can be passed on to farmers and consumers, according to Comerford's office, which said that small doses of PFAS are linked to cancer, harm to the reproductive and immune systems, and other diseases.
The legislation from Comerford and Arena-DeRosa calls for the creation of a statewide plan for reducing and managing sludge. It also authorizes legal and financial protections for farmers and a relief fund to help farmers who have suffered financial losses 'resulting from standard agricultural practices that may have resulted in the actual or suspected presence of PFAS in soil, water or agricultural products,' according to the bills.
'We want to encourage testing, but we have to do it in a way that people aren't going to be afraid to test,' Arena-DeRosa said. 'Right now, we're dealing with that in Massachusetts because we're worried about the cost, so we have to think about mitigation strategies and the funding that it's going to take.'
The bills are awaiting a hearing before the Agricultural and Fisheries Committee. Comerford is vice chair of the panel.
During their day trip on Tuesday, the Massachusetts delegation visited a PFAS-impacted farm in Arundel, attended a lunch and 'storytelling session' at the Maine State House, and participated in a roundtable discussion with farmers, advocates, and lawmakers, Comerford's office said.
Massachusetts lawmakers on the trip included Reps. Arena-DeRosa, Michelle Ciccolo, Steven Owens, and Senators Comerford and Jamie Eldridge. They were joined by Maine Representatives Bill Pluecker and Lori Gramlich, and Senator Henry Ingwersen.
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Pluecker said he sponsored the landmark legislation in Maine that prohibited applying sludge on farms.
'This toxic contaminant, which knows no bounds regionally, flows downhill. It poisons our water, fish, and drinking water,' he said. 'And what we need to do is stand together as politicians and activists across the states, regionally looking at how we can address this issue and how we can move the issue forward to protect farmers, wherever you may be.'
Ingwersen recalled how his work confronting PFAS started in 2016 in his hometown of Arundel, where a dairy farmer discovered his property was contaminated. The farmer had to slaughter cows, pause selling products, and spend thousands of dollars out of pocket to mitigate the issue, he said.
'We know we must keep up the fight here and share what we've learned with anyone looking to do the same,' Ingwersen said. 'So I was really happy to be able to talk to our folks in Massachusetts and hopefully begin relationships we can work together on in their state.'
Comerford said she asked Maine lawmakers about the lessons they've learned and about any approaches they would have done differently.
'I do feel like we've benefitted greatly from the wisdom, and the experience, and the knowledge base that Maine has built,' Comerford said. 'We have to think as upstream as we could possibly go, and that is the manufacturers, the chemical companies who make these chemicals and have polluted our rivers and polluted our food systems.'
The Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, which supports the legislation from Comerford and Arena-DeRosa, says a relief fund 'will be critical for increasing PFAS testing and protecting farmers' business liability and their health.'
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'While it's anticipated that some farms will have higher than acceptable levels of PFAS in their soil and/or water, farmers are hesitant to test until they know they'll be protected in case they need to cease production,' NOFA/Mass
The legislation is also a priority for environmental advocacy group Clean Water Action.
'Farmers across the nation are learning that the fertilizer they used may have contained high levels of PFAS, and they need our help to identify and remediate PFAS contamination to ensure that our food supply is safe,' Clean Water Action