BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
The state has delayed implementation of the first-in-the nation PFAS reporting law. More conversations are needed for the program to be successful. As lawmakers move forward with implementation, a discussion around a practical risk-based policy is sorely needed to sustain Maine’s economic progress and effectively address environmental contamination issues that create public health concerns. Maine’s current approach treats thousands of different PFAS compounds the same. If everything is a priority, then nothing is prioritized. Equally important, a blanket ban on all PFAS fails to recognize the role some PFAS compounds play in essential industries such as clean energy production, life-saving medical technologies, or aerospace manufacturing. Allowing for risk-based reporting would most effectively target reporting to the most harmful compounds. ~ Rep. Jim Dill, D-Old Town