AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously this week to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Stanley Paige Zeigler, D-Montville, that would address per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) pollution at Juniper Ridge, a landfill owned by the State of Maine.

As amended, LD 1875 directs the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services (BGS) to conduct a study of the methods to treat leachate, liquid that has passed through matter and contains soluble or suspended solids, to reduce the concentration of PFAS to the extent possible at the state-owned solid waste landfill.

In conducting the study, BGS will seek input from stakeholders who are directly affected by leachate from the landfill entering the Penobscot River, including the Penobscot Nation, as well as with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, as necessary. BGS will also contract with experts in landfill engineering, wastewater, leachate treatment technologies and other relevant backgrounds as needed.

The resolve further requires a report back to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on or before January 15, 2023 with the findings and recommendations from the study.

“I’m grateful that we could pass this bill in a bipartisan manner,” said Rep. Zeigler. “PFAS pollution is a serious threat to the health of our environment and to our neighbors, and this bill is a step forward in ensuring that our state-owned landfill will follow the best practices when it comes to disposing of its contaminated water.”

The bill will face additional votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.

Zeigler is serving his third term in the Maine House and represents the communities of Belmont, Liberty, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill, Palermo and Searsmont. He serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.