MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 2, 2022
Perhaps nowhere is Edmund S. Muskie’s legislative legacy more valued than in our water-rich state, the once heavily polluted rivers of which drove Sen. Muskie to champion the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972. People have returned to rivers and streams in ways unimaginable before the Clean Water Act came to be. As we celebrate its legacy, we find ourselves at another dangerous turning point for water quality. This time the biggest threat facing Maine comes from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. Last year, Maine became the first state to ban almost all products that contain PFAS. Despite broad support for this move, and ever-increasing evidence of the significant risks PFAS pose to public health, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and others had the temerity to ask state officials to delay the implementation of a separate product reporting law. Let’s use this anniversary as a reminder of what prompt and serious environmental intervention can achieve.