Collins, Pingree lead PFAS bill reintroduction

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, today led the reintroduction of their Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., are also sponsors of the bills, but a news release from Pingree’s office said she and Collins “lead the bipartisan push” for the legislation, which would authorize grants for states to provide financial assistance to affected farmers, expand monitoring and testing, remediate PFAS, technically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or forever chemicals, or even help farmers relocate. 

PFAS are man-made chemicals used in industry and consumer products and can lead to serious health effects, including cancer, reproductive and developmental harms, and weakened immune systems, the PIngree release said.

In Maine, there have been more than 30,000 records of PFAS at close to 250 sites across the state, the release noted. 

“USDA must provide support to our nation’s farmers, who through no fault of their own are at risk of losing their livelihoods,” Collins said in the release from Pingree’s office.

“In the past, the federal government’s response has failed to keep pace with this growing problem. Our bipartisan legislation would direct USDA to help by providing financial assistance and expanding PFAS monitoring and testing where it is needed most,” Collins said.

“The PFAS crisis isn’t some theoretical or distant problem,” said Pingree, a longtime farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee. “It’s here, it’s growing, and it’s putting real pressure on farmers in Maine and across the country.”

“For farmers already navigating thin margins, discovering ‘forever chemicals’ on their land can mean lost income, unusable land, and questions about the safety of their crops and livestock,” Pingree said.

“They deserve federal support that matches the scale of the crisis. Our Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act creates a dedicated USDA program to test for contamination, compensate affected farmers, and advance the research and remediation strategies we need to protect our food supply and rural economies. This bill is a critical step in giving farmers the tools to safeguard their operations while federal and state agencies work to fully confront PFAS.”

The news release contains endorsements from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine Farmland Trust and the National Wildlife Federation.

A Pingree spokesperson said the text is not yet available, but will be the same as the previous version.