Latest news with #Mi'kmaqNation
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Nah, we changed our minds: EPA restores $1.6M UMaine PFAS grant
Jun. 11—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reinstated a $1.6 million grant to the University of Maine to research and reduce the effect of forever chemicals on farms one month after canceling it for being inconsistent with EPA funding priorities. In May, EPA spokesman Mike Bastasch justified the grant withdrawal like this: "Maybe the Biden-Harris administration shouldn't have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and 'environmental justice' preferencing on the EPA." UMaine filed an appeal for wrongful grant termination on June 5. A day later, the EPA informed UMaine that it had reversed its position, and insisted that agency leaders had made that decision on June 4, the day before UMaine's appeal. The EPA gave no reason for its reversal. But a week before it canceled the grant, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, during a committee hearing that these PFAS grants were important and implied they would continue after the agency reorganized under the Trump administration. The EPA did not respond to questions about the grant reinstatement or the status of two other grants worth more than $3 million for other forever chemical research in Maine, ranging from developing rapid field testing to testing forever chemical levels in Wabanaki tribal waters and fish. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are manmade chemicals found in a broad range of common household products, like nonstick pans and makeup, that pose a public health risk to humans through prolonged exposure. Even trace amounts of some PFAS can be dangerous to humans, with exposure to high levels of certain PFAS linked to serious health problems such as increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental delays in children and increased risk of some cancers. Researchers involved in Mi'kmaq Nation and Passamaquoddy grants were happy to hear UMaine's grant had been restored and were hopeful their appeals would lead to reinstatement of their awards, too. As of Wednesday, however, their grants remained canceled. There is $1.45 million remaining on the restored award for UMaine to deliver "practical, science-based solutions" to reduce forever chemical contamination in livestock to produce safer food, a stronger farm economy and a healthier nation, according to a university statement. The grant also funds hands-on research learning for at least 10 students as part of UMaine's mission to produce the next generation of agricultural problem solvers and take a lead role in the new field of researching and reducing the effects of forever chemicals on agriculture. The EPA award will complement UMaine's new $500,000 state grant to research how forever chemicals move from soil into plants and livestock and eventually into the people who consume milk and dairy products. Both projects are led by UMaine professor Ellen Mallory. As of Monday, the University of Maine System has had 16 awards restored that the federal government had previously terminated, mostly at UMaine, according to a university spokeswoman. The current balance remaining on those reversed awards is $3.5 million. Over the last decade, Maine has spent more than $100 million as it became a national leader in the fight against harmful forever chemicals left behind by the state-permitted spreading of tainted sewage sludge on farm fields as a fertilizer. State inspectors have identified 82 Maine farms and 500 residential properties contaminated by the harmful forever chemicals in the sludge during a $28.8 million investigation of 1,100 sites. The state projects that it will install 660 water filtration systems at private wells near sludge-spread fields. So far, 20% of wells tested during the sludge investigation have exceeded Maine's drinking water standard. The Biden administration announced a stricter federal standard last year, but the Trump administration recently announced it planned to relax those standards and delay enactment. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
After hailing them as important, EPA cancels PFAS research grants
May 23—Despite hailing them as important, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cancelled $15 million in grants to research and reduce the effect of forever chemicals on farms, including almost $5 million in local research projects to the University of Maine, the Mi'kmaq Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe. The grants, worth about $1.6 million each, addressed a range of forever chemical research, ranging from helping farmers develop rapid field testing to testing tribal waters, shellfish, and fish to conducting some of the first testing of fiddleheads, basket-making trees, and insects living in tainted water. "These funds were congressionally approved and appropriated, and they cannot be terminated in this way," said Chelli Stanley of Upland Roots, a group working on the Mi'kmaq Nation grant. "It is unconstitutional. Others have successfully challenged the exact same thing." The cancellation notice arrived just as the Mi'kmaq Nation and Upland Roots began their grant field work, Stanley said. Tribal members were out collecting fiddleheads from the Aroostook watershed to see if they absorb these harmful forever chemicals "out of a concern for human health," she said. Both tribes plan to appeal the termination notice. "All that knowledge that can help Maine make informed decisions going forward will be lost," Stanley said. "It will affect the health of Maine people and the ecosystem... Maine is a leader in PFAS research for the country. It will have a big negative affect on our ability to combat PFAS." The University of Maine is still deciding whether it will appeal the cancellation, a spokesman said. "The terminated research would have resulted in practical, science-based solutions for farmers and policymakers in Maine and around the nation," according to a university statement. It would have ensured "safer food systems, a more robust American agriculture economy and a healthier nation." The award would have also funded hands-on research learning experiences for at least 10 UMaine students as part of the university's development of the next generation of agricultural researchers and problem-solvers, the statement said. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are manmade chemicals found in a broad range of common household products, like nonstick pans and makeup, that pose a public health risk to humans through prolonged exposure. Even trace amounts of some PFAS can be dangerous to humans, with exposure to high levels of certain PFAS linked to decreased fertility and increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental delays in children and low birth weight, increased risk of some cancers and weakened immune systems. Last week, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin told Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, during a committee hearing that these PFAS grants were important and implied they would continue after the agency completed its reorganization under the new Trump administration. "The agency is going through a reorg," Zeldin told lawmakers. "The way that the program and these grants are going to get administered are going to be different going forward. But these are important grants. I look forward to working with you... as we're able to continue that good work going forward." But EPA told recipients the cancelled grants were "no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities." When asked to elaborate, EPA spokesman Mike Bastasch sent this emailed reply: "Maybe the Biden-Harris Administration shouldn't have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and 'environmental justice' preferencing on the EPA." It was unclear whether Bastasch meant the agency's past environmental justice goals were prompting the grant review or if the agency had canceled these specific forever chemical grants because tribal nations, including the Mi'qmak Nation and Pasmaquoddy Tribe of Maine, had received funding. The grants themselves don't seem to have any specific environmental justice angle. Past grants have been used to develop innovative, science-based solutions to complex environmental problems, including wildfire smoke impacts and enhanced aquifer recharge. Pingree pressed Zeldin for clarification in a follow-up letter Thursday. Despite the grant termination, UMaine remains at the forefront of the state's forever chemical research efforts. It received $2.3 million in research funding earlier this month from the state's $60 million fund to support farmers whose water or land was contaminated by state-permitted sludge fertilizer. And earlier this month, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins assured Maine Senator Susan Collins that $17 million that agency had awarded to the Agriculture Research Service and UMaine to establish a new PFAS research lab was still intact. "We remain committed to this research," Rollins told Collins during a budget hearing. "Very proud of that $17 million grant to the Center for Excellence... I'm excited to learn more, perhaps even come visit the center in Maine, see the work that they're doing firsthand, and to continue to support it." Over the last decade, Maine has spent more than $100 million as it became a national leader in the fight against harmful forever chemicals left behind by the state-permitted spreading of tainted sewage sludge on farm fields as a fertilizer. State inspectors have identified 82 Maine farms and 500 residential properties contaminated by the harmful forever chemicals in the sludge during a $28.8 million investigation of 1,100 sites. It projects it will install 660 water filtration systems at private wells near sludge-spread fields. So far, 20% of wells tested as part of the sludge investigation have exceeded Maine's interim drinking water standard. The Biden administration announced a stricter federal standard last year, although the Trump administration recently announced it planned to relax those standards and delay enactment. Local farm advocates said the grant cuts will set the field of PFAS research back, locally and nationally. "These impacted PFAS research projects are tackling urgent, practical questions to help us understand how PFAS chemicals enter the foods we eat and make management decisions that could reduce or mitigate contamination," said Shelley Mequier, policy and research director at Maine Farmland Trust. In 2022, Maine became the first state to ban sludge spreading — Connecticut has since followed — and adopted a phased-in ban on sales of most products that contain PFAS. It will soon consider a state take-back program intended to rid Maine of harmful PFAS-laden firefighting foam. People are exposed to forever chemicals through a broad range of common household products, such as nonstick pans, makeup and waterproof clothing. People living on farms are exposed through eating eggs, milk and meat from pasture-raised hens and cows and drinking water from on-site wells. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite saying PFAS contamination is a priority, EPA cut millions in funding for research in Maine
Mi'kmaq Nation Vice Chief Richard Silliboy and Norman Barnard water hemp seeds at the former Loring Airforce Base in the summer of 2020. (Photo courtesy of Upland Grassroots) With the brief window for fiddlehead foraging nearing its close, citizens of the Mi'kmaq Nation hope to collect the traditional food source this week from the Aroostook River flood plain to test as part of their research into understanding, and in turn reducing, forever chemicals in the food supply. However, they may no longer be able to afford to do the testing they'd planned. Following months of preparation after securing federal funding in September, the team received an email from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Mission Support on May 13 stating that their four-year grant had been terminated, effective immediately. 'The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,' the email read. The EPA terminated all of the ten grants it had awarded for research into reducing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, in plants and animals, including two others to Maine-based teams led by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the University of Maine. PFAS have been linked to long term adverse health outcomes, such as cancers and weakened immune systems, and their pervasiveness in agriculture is not fully understood. The termination of these grants, each for roughly $1.6 million, are some of the latest examples of the billions of federal dollars the Trump administration has blocked despite already being appropriated by U.S. Congress. 'It's complete overreach,' said Chelli Stanley, co-founder of an organization committed to cleaning contaminated land, Upland Grassroots, which is part of the research team headed by the Mi'kmaq Nation. 'We're going to appeal. We're also seeking legal aid.' Mi'kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, UMaine awarded federal grants for forever chemical research The Passamaquoddy Tribe also plans to appeal the termination of its grant, said Marvin Cling, environmental director for the Sipayik Environmental Department at Pleasant Point. UMaine did not provide comment regarding whether they intend to dispute the decision by the time of publication. The grantees have 30 days from their termination notices to make the case that their work is in compliance with the EPA's priorities. But crafting that argument is complicated by the fact that the EPA has given contradictory statements regarding why the grants were terminated and whether or not they are in line with the agency's priorities. In a statement provided to Maine Morning Star in response to a request as to why the research no longer aligns with priorities, the EPA equated the grants with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures. 'As with any change in administration, the EPA has been reviewing all of its grant programs and awarded grants to ensure each is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with administration priorities,' the EPA Press Office wrote. 'Maybe the Biden-Harris administration shouldn't have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and 'environmental justice' preferencing on the EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment treating tribes and Alaska Natives as such.' There is no mention of DEI or environmental justice in the Maine teams' research plans or overall objectives of the grant program. 'This is a matter of public health,' said Frey Corey, information technology director for the Mi'kmaq Nation who is a researcher for the Tribes' grant. Corey has worked with the EPA since 1996 when he started managing natural resources for the Tribe. 'There's been funding challenges over the years — there's no doubt about that,' Corey said. 'But in terms of how they're operating, this is really unusual.' Democratic U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree of Maine, who helped secure that funding as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Maine Morning Star this response from the EPA was 'not only incredibly disappointing, it's absurd.' 'To suggest that supporting tribal health and environmental safety — in this case, by studying PFAS contamination in their ancestral waters — is some kind of 'radical agenda' is both offensive and deeply ignorant,' Pingree said. 'How many times do we have to make clear to this administration that tribes are not 'DEI'?' The response the EPA provided to Maine Morning Star runs counter to the agency's press releases in recent weeks, which highlight a focus on combating PFAS contamination, including through partnerships with tribes. It is also directly at odds with the response EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin gave to Pingree about the grant terminations during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Thursday. After Zeldin outlined that addressing PFAS contamination is a priority for the agency and him personally, Pingree asked, 'Since these grants are consistent with the EPA priorities, do you know why they were terminated?' Zeldin responded, 'It's an important program. It's something that's congressionally appropriated. The agency's going through a reorg, so the way that the program and these grants are administered are going to be different going forward.' In early May, the agency announced a significant reorganization with major cuts to staffing, especially to its Office of Research and Development, the part of the agency that provides scientific analysis on environmental hazards. Pingree has called those changes a blatant abuse of public health and the agency's core mission. Pingree told Maine Morning Star that she felt Zeldin's response on Thursday was a non-answer. 'The only good thing was he did emphasize that he understood it was appropriated funds,' Pingree said. Either Administrator Zeldin was disingenuous with me and our subcommittee, or he and his agency aren't on the same page. – U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree But in light of the EPA's response to Maine Morning Star, Pingree added, 'Either Administrator Zeldin was disingenuous with me and our subcommittee, or he and his agency aren't on the same page.' Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, also told Maine Morning Star she reached out to the agency last week about the grant terminations and is continuing to press leadership to get a clear answer about their status. 'Research into PFAS mitigation is critically important for our farmers and rural communities, work I am urging the EPA to continue without delay,' Collins said in a statement. 'Terminating PFAS grants would be an extremely damaging development.' Regardless of the reason, Pingree said she considers the termination to be illegal and unconstitutional. She is encouraging the grantees to go through the appeals process but said she will continue to question EPA leadership on the terminations, including during hearings for the proposed budget, which outlines a 55% funding cut to the EPA that would directly impact the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Maine has spearheaded efforts to address PFAS contamination. It was the first state to require manufacturers to report intentionally added PFAS in their products and has established a host of assistance programs to help farms continue to operate while also protecting public health. 'It's just doubly cruel of the EPA to take that money back from Maine when we've been such a leader in dealing with this critical toxin in our environment that we have so much more work to do on,' Pingree said. The research these grants were supporting in Maine showed promise for helping farmers, communities and consumers detect and prevent PFAS from accumulating in their food, water and soil. It also represents a new model that centers Indigenous communities who have deep knowledge of the land on which this work is being conducted. The collaboration between the Mi'kmaq Nation, University of Virginia, Upland Grassroots and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station dates back to 2019, when they came together to test ways to clean toxins from the former Loring Airforce Base in Aroostook County, which now belongs to the Mi'kmaq Nation. The team has seen early success with using hemp plants to remove PFAS from soil — a process called phytoremediation. These are the findings that led the group to apply for the EPA grant to further study how this method and others can help reduce contamination from irrigation on farms, a well-known reality for Aroostook County. After receiving the grant in September, the team began the initial phase of the research, which has three overarching focuses. Randy Martin, executive director of the Central Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District, planned to study how irrigation from the Aroostook River causes PFAS build up in soil and then ultimately in crops. Martin started this winter monitoring contamination levels, watering plants using the Aroostook River and harvesting them for testing. The Mi'kmaq Nation is focused on how widespread PFAS contamination is in the ecosystem, including medicinal and culturally relevant plants, such as fiddleheads as well as ash wood, which the Tribe has long used for basketweaving. With the grant now in limbo, the team is planning to freeze these samples with the hope that they can still be studied in the future, as testing makes up the bulk of the cost. Researchers at the University of Virginia created biosensors to detect PFAS, a twist on the idea of sentinel plants, which are alternative species that display visible symptoms of infection to provide warning signs. Bryan Berger, associate professor of chemical engineering at UVA, said the grant was going to help expand testing to the field. 'Our work is directly focused on delivering solutions to farmers and communities affected, which we did and continue to do now,' Berger said. 'It also provides crucial data for regulatory decisions, and offers industries a cost-effective compliance tool — ultimately safeguarding public health while reducing environmental remediation costs across all sectors.' Before the EPA terminated the grant, the team published a paper demonstrating how one application of this technology could be used in monitoring environmental water quality and a report for growers that shows how PFAS accumulates in potatoes grown in northern Maine. 'We're proud of how much we accomplished in a short time, and frustrated we weren't given the chance to complete our work,' Berger said. Berger, Stanley and Corey said the team is committed to continuing its research despite the grant termination. If it is not eventually reinstated, they plan to explore private funds. The other two Maine-based projects had similar but distinct aims. UMaine's project was to examine ways to disrupt the PFAS contamination cycle, including by limiting the chemical uptake by forages (plants eaten by livestock), livestock, and animal byproducts such as milk, meat and manure. The EPA terminated UMaine's grant on May 10, according to its website. The Passamaquoddy Tribe, specifically the Sipayik Environmental Department at Pleasant Point, planned to assess PFAS in water and fish from watersheds in Tribal and disadvantaged regions of Northeastern Maine to inform the health of those in the area who depend on recreational fisheries as food sources. The Tribe had been in the process of hiring someone to do the research when it received notice of its grant termination on May 12, Cling said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislators again seek equal tax treatment among Wabanaki Nations
Participants in a Wabanaki Alliance rally on Indigenous Peoples' Day at the Maine State House in Augusta. (Photo by Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star) Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the Mi'kmaq Nation. Last session, legislation to provide the Mi'kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned. That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills' administration. 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland). In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting. The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross. Talbot Ross' bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor's office and overhauling the Settlement Act remains an ongoing battle. The Mi'kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi'kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations. Talbot Ross' bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi'kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House LD 982 would specifically exempt the Mi'kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations. 'Allowing the Tribe to retain this revenue will strengthen economic opportunity for its citizens and enable greater reinvestment into the surrounding communities,' Talbot Ross said. Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, which was formed in 2020 to advocate for the recognition of Wabanaki sovereignty, said the group supports LD 982. 'The original bill with the taxation provisions was a very significant, important, impactful restoration of sovereignty for the tribes,' Bryant said, 'and we are very happy and hopeful at the prospect of the Mi'kmaq Nation being included in this really great act of parity.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
