{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/maine-delegation-introduces-bill-to-support-farmers-affected-by-pfas-0", "Maine Delegation introduces bill to support farmers affected by PFAS", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Jared F. Golden", "G000592", "golden.house.gov", "golden", "https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 In a bipartisan, bicameral effort to provide vital assistance to farmers affected by toxic \u201cforever chemicals,\u201d also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) reintroduced the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act. The legislation would authorize grants for states to provide financial assistance to affected farmers, expand monitoring and testing, remediate PFAS, or even help farmers relocate. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Congressman Jared Golden (D-Maine) are original cosponsors of the legislation.\n\nPFAS are man-made chemicals that are used in industry and consumer products and can lead to serious health effects, including cancer, reproductive and developmental harms, and weakened immune systems. In Maine, there have been more than 30,000 records of PFAS at close to 250 sites across the state. Maine farmers have had their livelihoods disrupted due to PFAS contamination, which originated in sludge that was spread as fertilizer by farmers who were told by the government that it was safe to use.\n\n\u201cUSDA must provide support to our nation\u2019s farmers, who through no fault of their own are at risk of losing their livelihoods,\u201d said Senator Collins. \u201cIn the past, the federal government\u2019s 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe PFAS crisis isn\u2019t some theoretical or distant problem. It\u2019s here, it\u2019s growing, and it\u2019s putting real pressure on farmers in Maine and across the country,\u201d said Pingree, a longtime farmer and senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. \u201cFor farmers already navigating thin margins, discovering \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 on their land can mean lost income, unusable land, and questions about the safety of their crops and livestock. 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaine\u2019s hardworking farmers are losing crops, land, and their livelihoods to \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 at an alarming rate,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cThe Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act is a crucial step towards creating a federal safety net that provides impacted farms with financial relief. The monitoring, testing, and remediation provisions would be a gamechanger in our work to protect Maine\u2019s agricultural communities from PFAS contamination. The state of Maine has been on the forefront of these efforts, but additional federal investments are vitally needed. I hope this bipartisan, bicameral legislation receives broad support across Congress to protect the future of Maine farming.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs awareness of PFAS contamination has increased, Maine farmers have borne heavy costs to protect consumers from harmful chemicals,\u201d Golden said. \"The Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act will provide local farmers with the support they need to keep their lights on while continuing to mitigate risk and protect the public from a health issue that isn\u2019t farmers\u2019 fault.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the funds authorized by the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act could be used for a variety of purposes at the state level, including:\n\nProviding financial assistance to affected farmers;\n\nBuilding capacity for PFAS testing for soil or water sources;\n\nMonitoring blood for individuals to make informed decisions about their health;\n\nUpgrading or purchasing equipment to ensure a farm remains profitable during or after known PFAS contamination;\n\nDeveloping alternative production systems or remediation strategies;\n\nDeveloping educational programs for farmers experiencing PFAS contamination; and\n\nResearching soil and water remediation systems, and the viability of those systems for farms\n\nThe bill would also create a task force at USDA charged with identifying other USDA programs to which PFAS contamination should be added as an eligible activity. This would help bring even more resources to farmers through existing programs. Additionally, the task force would provide technical assistance to states to help them coordinate their responses effectively.\n\n\u201cMaine farmers, residents and policymakers are leading the country on tackling PFAS contamination in our food and water,\u201d said Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). \u201cMaine has created essential policies to help farmers who have suffered consequences of forever chemicals through no fault of their own. Senator Collins\u2019 and Congresswoman Pingree's bill signals a critical opportunity for the federal government to coordinate a response so that farmers across the country will have the support they need to address PFAS contamination.\u201d\n\n\u201cPFAS contamination of agricultural land is a nationwide challenge that has been met with an inconsistent patchwork of policy and program responses to date. What is needed in response to the challenge of PFAS contamination of agricultural land is dependable and comprehensive support so that farm families, the agricultural sector, and our food system are not in jeopardy. This bill seeks to do just that. Maine Farmland Trust is grateful for the introduction of the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act and the strong federal safety net of support that it would provide. Maine farmers stand with farmers nationwide who deserve comprehensive support and solutions,\u201d said Shelley Megquier, Policy and Research Director of Maine Farmland Trust.\n\n\u201cAmerican Farmland Trust (AFT) applauds the reintroduction of the bipartisan Farmers Hit with PFAS Act,\u201d said Tim Fink, Vice President of Policy for AFT. \u201cThe discovery of PFAS contamination can be devastating for farms, farmers, and their families \u2013 all through no fault of their own. However, the experience of the Maine relief program has shown that with the right financial and technical support, most farms can return safely to operation. It\u2019s time that this essential financial, technical, healthcare, and research support be available to impacted farmers across the nation.\u201d\n\n\"PFAS contamination poses a significant threat to our farms, wildlife, and food,\" said Rebecca Meuninck, Ph.D., Great Lakes regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation. \"Farmers are being put out of business because they unknowingly spread biosolids containing PFAS on their land or had their water contaminated from neighboring military or industrial sites. The reintroduction of this legislation is a big step forward in supporting farmers and ensuring their resilience against the impacts of PFAS.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/maine-delegation-introduces-bill-to-support-farmers-affected-by-pfas-0"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.094145165756345, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}