[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 45 (Thursday, March 9, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. King, and Mrs. Shaheen):
  S. 747. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide 
grants to States, territories, and Indian Tribes to address 
contamination by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances on 
farms, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Relief 
for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act. My colleague Senator King joins me in 
introducing this important legislation that would assist farmers across 
America who have been harmed by PFAS contamination.
  PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals--sometimes referred to as 
``forever chemicals''--that can bioaccumulate in bodies over time. They 
are traditionally found in nonstick pans, clothing, furniture, and 
firefighting foam and have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, 
liver damage, decreased fertility, and hormone disruption. PFAS 
contamination is a growing problem, and additional resources are needed 
to support affected communities.
  In Maine, PFAS contamination affecting many different sectors, 
including agriculture, has been discovered over the past several years. 
The presence of PFAS in wastewater sludge once spread as fertilizer has 
prevented some Maine farms from selling their products, thus leading to 
significant financial hardship for these family farmers. One such 
farmer is Fred Stone, a dairy farmer in Arundel, ME. In 2016, Fred 
discovered that the milk produced on his farm contained some of the 
highest levels ever reported for a PFAS contaminant at that time. More 
recently, a dairy farm in Fairfield, ME, found PFAS levels in its milk 
that were 153 times higher than the State's standard.
  Dairy is not the only agricultural sector affected by these harmful 
forever chemicals. Adam Nordell and his wife Johanna Davis, from Unity, 
ME, learned that PFAS had contaminated the soil and water in their 
organic vegetable farm, the result of sludge spread on their land in 
the 1990s. Tests last year showed that Adam and Johanna had levels of 
PFAS in their blood that were even higher than chemical plant workers 
who manufactured PFAS for decades and handled them daily.
  Currently, USDA provides limited support through the Dairy Indemnity 
Payment Program to dairy farmers who have been directed to remove their 
contaminated milk from the commercial market. This program falls far 
short of meeting the growing needs of all farmers in the State of 
Maine. Fred Stone, the farmer who first learned of contamination in 
2016, has still not been compensated adequately for the contamination 
he has experienced. What is more, this program helps only dairy 
farmers, excluding the farmers of other agricultural products who have 
had their livelihoods disrupted by PFAS contamination. While community 
organizations and the State of Maine have stepped in to provide some 
aid, USDA should do more to assist all farmers affected by these 
chemicals. That is what our legislation aims to do.
  Specifically, the funds authorized by the Relief for Farmers Hit with 
PFAS Act could be used for a variety of purposes at the State level, 
including providing financial assistance to affected farmers; building 
capacity for PFAS testing for soil or water sources; monitoring blood 
for individuals to make informed decisions about their health; 
upgrading or purchasing equipment to ensure a farm remains profitable 
during or after known PFAS contamination; developing alternative 
production systems or remediation strategies; developing educational 
programs for farmers experiencing PFAS contamination; and researching 
soil and water remediation systems, and the viability of those systems 
for farms.
  In addition to making new resources available, our bill would create 
a task force at USDA charged with identifying other USDA programs to 
which PFAS contamination should be added as a activity. This would help 
bring even more resources to farmers through existing programs. 
Additionally, the task force would provide technical assistance to 
States to help them coordinate their responses effectively.
  Mr. President, USDA needs to step up and provide support to farmers, 
who through no fault of their own are at risk of losing their 
livelihoods. This is not just a problem in Maine. A recent report 
released by the Environmental Working Group estimated that 
approximately 20 million acres of crop land in the United States could 
be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sludge, which had been used as 
fertilizer.
  Thus far, the Federal Government's response has failed to keep pace 
with this growing problem. I have urged USDA Secretary Vilsack 
repeatedly to come to the aid of these affected farmers, and the Relief 
for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act would direct the Department to help where 
it is needed most.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill. As the members of the 
Senate Agriculture Committee begin work on the 2023 farm bill, I hope 
that we can work together to pass the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS 
Act into law.

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