As more than 500 private wells exceed state standards for safe drinking water, residents who have been consuming it for years want answers about the chemicals’ effects.
maine department of environmental protection
Q&A: How do you know if you’ve been exposed to PFAS?
Exposure to the chemicals, often through contaminated drinking water, has been connected to high cholesterol, cancer and other health problems.
Lawmakers move to delay start of first-in-the-nation PFAS law
A legislative committee has endorsed a bill to delay the deadline for reporting the presence of PFAS in products sold in Maine.
Lawmakers clash over bill to delay out-of-state trash ban
Supporters say Maine needs the trash to solve its sludge disposal crisis, but critics say the state-owned landfill should be reserved for in-state waste and accused the operator of prioritizing profits over solving the problem.
Bill would have state environmental officials give priority to marginalized communities when deciding policy
But environmental advocates say the measure needs to go further, and business groups fear it could slow down project permitting.
Railroad spills 500 gallons of fuel in northern Maine derailment cleanup
The state issued a warning to Canadian Pacific Kansas City on Friday after the company’s clean-up efforts resulted in the discharge of diesel fuel from a locomotive’s tanks.
Commentary: Maine should demand accountability from its solid waste monopolist
Communities served by the company find themselves in a take-it-or-leave-it situation. That’s not good enough.
Proposed rules call for closer monitoring of petroleum tank air emissions
The proposed rules have would require ‘fenceline monitoring’ for hazardous compounds that cause various health problems.
More than 1,000 Maine sites identified so far for testing of PFAS contamination
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said in a report to a legislative committee that testing of an increasing number of sites likely will continue beyond a 2025 deadline.
Commentary: Mainers could benefit from lithium boom if state politicians allow it
For a variety of reasons and ends, the U.S. needs battery materials. Maine has at least one handsome stockpile. Onerous mining regulations stand in the way.