PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025
As the Portland International Jetport transitions away from firefighting foam laden with ‘forever chemicals,’ a state lawmaker is pushing for the rest of Maine to follow. State Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) teased a bill on Tuesday that would create a statewide collection and disposal process for the toxic aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which contains high levels of a persistent, harmful class of compounds known as PFAS. The foam is common in fire departments across Maine. The Portland Fire Department is in the midst of that transition, having swapped AFFF in two of three fire trucks stationed at the Jetport for a PFAS-free foam while the final truck undergoes maintenance before completing the switch. Both measures follow the calamitous spill of the toxic firefighting foam at the Brunswick Executive Airport last August.