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One issue that has garnered a great deal of attention in Maine over the last few years is PFAS. In response to major concerns about PFAS contamination on Maine farms, the Legislature passed a first-in-the-nation “PFAS in Products” law in 2021.
While well-intended, the law affected nearly all Maine businesses, posing huge challenges by requiring them to test and report every product for sale or made in Maine for intentionally added PFAS by 2023, a near impossible feat for even the most sophisticated businesses.
Further, the 2021 law placed a 2030 ban on all products containing intentionally added PFAS, making Maine an outlier. The unintended consequences for business sectors including manufacturing, clean energy and health products were potentially devastating. Due to Maine’s broad definition of “PFAS,” products such as heart stents and heat pumps would be banned.
Since 2021, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce championed sensible revisions to the law to make Maine’s PFAS regulations more workable for businesses, while continuing to protect public health and the environment. Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, under Commissioner Melanie Loyzim’s leadership, proposed modifications that focused the PFAS law.
In April, following unanimous passage by the Legislature, Gov. Janet Mills signed the changes into law.
Maine’s “PFAS in Products” law now exempts many federally regulated products from the ban entirely and extends the ban to 2040 for other industries. It also largely aligns with Minnesota’s PFAS regulations, providing consistency across state lines.
Sen. Joe Baldacci’s, D-Bangor, support for revising the law was key, as were many Maine businesses, including a major employer and member of the Bangor community, C&L Aviation.
Thanks to their support and outspokenness, and to the Legislature and Mills administration, Maine’s PFAS law is more workable for businesses, and importantly, protects Mainers, our state’s environment and Maine’s economic future.
Ashley Luszczki
Government relations specialist
Maine State Chamber of Commerce
Augusta
