MAINE MORNING STAR • June 23, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency restored two of the three Maine-based grants for forever chemical research that it terminated this spring. Without explaining why, or first considering the researchers’ appeals, the EPA notified teams led by the Mi’kmaq Nation and the University of Maine that their grants have been reinstated this month, however the agency has yet to notify the Passamaquoddy Tribe about whether their grant will be restored. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said she was pleased to see the grants restored but that they shouldn’t have been terminated in the first place. “This is just one example of a much broader problem,” Pingree said. She pointed to other proposed cuts to environmental programs, such as a 55% funding cut to the EPA budget and the elimination of other PFAS grants that support cleanup and prevention efforts in vulnerable communities.