MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • April 25, 2023
A study by environmental groups shows Maine had the highest amount of toxic water pollution of any New England state in 2020. Of the state’s top polluters, McCain Foods USA’s plant in Easton released the most chemicals into waterways that year while the Sappi paper mill in Skowhegan released chemicals with the highest degree of toxicity. The report used data from the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) to determine how many pounds of water pollution were being released by industrial facilities in each state in 2020 and which companies were releasing the most. The study — put together by the Environment America Research and Policy Center, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and the Frontier Group — noted that TRI data is self-reported by companies and doesn’t include all facilities or all toxic releases by companies.