PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2022
There’s a bill currently before the Maine Legislature that would permanently ban the sale of biosolids compost and land application of biosolids and sludge.Supporters claim it’s necessary because of PFAS contamination on Maine farms. Maine people are right to be concerned about PFAS. But making knee-jerk and blanket generalizations in a panic never leads to good policy. Using biosolids and sludge as fertilizer – instead of dumping it in a landfill – reduces carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Over the past 30 years, we have sequestered thousands of tons of carbons as a result. A ban doesn’t limit our exposure to PFAS and doesn’t address the terrible legacy situations on several Maine farms. ~ Jeff O’Donal, O’Donal’s Nursery in Gorham, and Jonathan Tibbetts, Tibbetts Farm in Lyman