The article:

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $18,914,000 from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water in Maine. This investment, which is allocated to states and territories, will be made available to communities as grants through EPA's Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program and will promote access to safe and clean water in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities while supporting local economies.

"Too many American communities, especially those that are small, rural, or underserved, are suffering from exposure to PFAS and other harmful contaminants in their drinking water," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. "Thanks to President Biden's leadership, we are investing in America and providing billions of dollars to strengthen our nation's water infrastructure while safeguarding people's health and boosting local economies. These grants build on EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap and will help protect our smallest and most vulnerable communities from these persistent and dangerous chemicals."

"Today's grant announcement is one significant step in EPA's comprehensive PFAS Roadmap to support our state partners as we aggressively tackle PFAS in drinking water, protect public health, and provide critical information quickly and transparently," said EPA New England Regional Administrator and Co-Chair of EPA's Council on PFAS David W. Cash. "This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will target resources to small or disadvantaged communities most in need of assistance and will speed up our important work reducing PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, especially in communities that are challenged by lack of capacity and funding."

"Maine is a leader in addressing PFAS contamination, but there is a lot more work left to do," said Governor Janet Mills. "Maine people deserve safe drinking water and these Federal funds will be instrumental in helping my Administration identify PFAS contamination across Maine and take steps to mitigate it."

"Maintaining access to clean, reliable drinking water is essential to protect the health of the public, our environment, and the economy," said U.S. Senator Susan Collins. "Americans should be able to have confidence that the water from their faucets is safe to use. Although Maine is home to some of the cleanest sources of water in the country, the increasing prevalence of pollutants like PFAS require action to keep our drinking water pure. Senator Shaheen and I co-authored the provision that includes this funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I am pleased to see the implementation of these resources to protect water supplies in Maine."

"Maine people deserve clean, safe, and healthy water," said U.S. Senator Angus King. "This significant new investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help address the PFAS contaminants in our water and protect the long-term health of communities across the state. There is still more work to be done, but this funding is an important first step and a great example of the game-changing investments of the bipartisan bill."

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $5 billion over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water. EPA announced the funds for Maine as part of an allotment of $2 billion to states and territories that can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants, like PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and to conduct water quality testing.

EPA is also releasing the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Implementation document. The implementation document provides states and communities with the information necessary to use this funding to address local water quality and public health challenges. These grants will enable communities to improve local water infrastructure and reduce emerging contaminants in drinking water by implementing solutions such as installing necessary treatment solutions.

Today's actions represent a significant milestone within the Biden-Harris Administration's commitments to combat PFAS pollution and safeguard drinking water, and specifically EPA's October 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Under the Roadmap, EPA is working across the agency to protect the public from the health impacts of PFAS. EPA has taken a number of actions to deliver progress on PFAS including:

Proposing to designate two PFAS as CERCLA hazardous substances. If finalized, this will be a critical step toward increasing transparency around releases of PFAS and holding polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination. Releasing drinking water health advisories. Acting in accordance with EPA's mission to protect public health and keep communities and public health authorities informed when new science becomes available, the Agency issued drinking water health advisories for four PFAS. Laying the foundation to enhance data on PFAS. This included an order under EPA's National PFAS Testing Strategy requiring companies to conduct PFAS testing, and nationwide sampling through the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 29 PFAS in public drinking water systems.

Expanding the scientific understanding of PFAS. The Agency issued more than 30 scientific publications by EPA researchers and released EPA's PFAS Thermal Treatment Database. Translating the latest science into EPA's cross-agency PFAS efforts. This included updating EPA's contaminated site cleanup tables, developing new PFAS methods and conducting toxicity assessments, and issuing draft national recommended water quality criteria to protect aquatic life.

Continuing engagement with the public. EPA's PFAS work was informed by public webinars, stakeholder meetings, Congressional testimony, and engagement with EPA's federal advisory committees.

In addition to this new grant, EPA is also working to propose a PFAS NPDWR in the coming weeks. The draft proposed rule is currently undergoing interagency review and EPA will issue the proposed rule for public comment when it clears the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The agency anticipates finalizing the rule by the end of 2023. Together, with today's announcement, these actions highlight EPA's commitments outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of PFAS. They also illustrate the benefits of investing in water—protecting public health and the environment, addressing key challenges facing communities, and creating jobs.

When we were looking to buy, we ended up crossing towns like Fairfield off our list due to PFAS. Let's hope this money actually goes to help those communities

So I live in Michigan, but follow this sub because I like Maine from my very limited tourist experiences.

Michigan has a few previously industrial areas and military bases that have pfas contaminating local groundwater sources. $19 million sounds very inadequate if Maine is as contaminated as Michigan. The cleanup areas are all basically superfund sites, and people who live anywhere near them all have to be switched to city water or install something like reverse osmosis systems. Repeat that for a few thousand houses and money gets spent pretty quickly.

>$19 million sounds very inadequate

America is more about PR and optics of helping, than actually solving anything.

So it's just tinkering around the edges while "nothing fundamentally changes".

I’m excited about any infrastructure funds in Maine but am frankly dubious about how far $19M will actually go

I attended a school board meeting recently where administrators were discussing the ongoing need to supply bottled water due to the buildings nearly 800 foot deep well being contaminated by PFAS. The scale of this disaster is far bigger than most people understand. The entities responsible for introducing these chemicals and continuing to manufacture them need to be held morally and financially accountable.

>The entities responsible for introducing these chemicals and continuing to manufacture them need to be held morally and financially accountable.

It is similar to when gas producers were putting lead in the gas.... despite knowing the effects of lead in the environment and on humans.

So instead of owning up to the damage they were causing (or the government doing anything to prevent it), they were allowed to continue for many decades and cause country wide contamination and lead poisoning in people....

The punishment? Massive profits... and then eventually (after a very very long time) they were told to cut it out. There is no accountability, that isn't how America handles public safety issues.

While I appreciate the funding, 19 mil is peanuts compared to the scope of the problem.

19million?

I hate to break it to you but there are likely PFAS where you chose to live. It just hasn't been tested and/or mapped yet.

PFAS have been found in deer, fish and other wild edibles, not just soil and water.

I hope the money goes to testing in rural areas so the real scope of the problem is identified. We aren't even at the clean up phase yet.

We actually asked our town for a water report on PFAS and they were able to provide one (which surprised us).

I'd wager most of us will have some contact with PFAS regardless. We're just lucky that our drinking water tested clean here

That's a relief your water is safe. Hope your garden soil, fruit trees and berry bushes are safe too.

Here's some info on getting your yard soil tested: https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/understanding-pfas-and-your-home-garden/step-5/

Thank you! We plan on gardening this year and this has been a concern. We were going to to raised beds to help, but knowing our soils condition would certainly ease the mind

Raised beds are just easier all the way around anyway, well except for installing them in the first place, but after that, easier for weeds and rodent control :-).

It might be worth getting the soil tested anyway in case roots go deeper than your raised beds and if you have kids that like to go out and play. Plus if you test early and have a problem, you can get on the list (if there's a list) for clean up assistance.

19 mil not just to ME. Its also going to other states/territories

Meanwhile, Maine continues to sell ground water, and a completely unregulated rate to Nestlé.

A whole 19 Million dollars? Gawsh…. that’ll do…NOTHING and help no one. What a fucking joke.

Now do Ohio…

It does seem far short of what will be needed

It seems like enough money to enrich the chosen vendors without actually making much progress. Just enough for them to come back and say well now we know how much work is needed to be done — we need $200MM! It’s not unique to Maine unfortunately. There are whole firms funded entirely by the US government and they tend to be grossly inefficient because they spend all their money trying to get the contracts in the first place

Over Susan Collins objections for improving the lives of her constituent s, Democrats deliver.

Incorrect. Groundwater withdrawal permits are required. In addition, those sources are regulated for contaminants, not just impacts to the aquifer and neighboring wells.

Nestle sold Poland Springs. They’re no longer involved. Do a wiki search on it.

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" The entities responsible for introducing these chemicals and continuing to manufacture them need to be held morally and financially accountable."

This will never happen.

Half of the people in America utterly refuse to ever do any such thing.

A few connected people will get alot of money and nothing will happen. More money will be sent to Ukraine and nothing will happen. That is how the government works. They don't wm even want to visit East Palestine.

Results from recent testing is shown in this PDF. Check your town. Just found out the town I went to school in as a kid was over the limit.

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/dwp/cet/documents/pfasResults.pdf

If that doesn’t work, go to the below link and scroll down until you see the red text “confirmed results” section and click on that.

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/dwp/pws/pfas.shtml