As Portland transitions away from PFAS-laden firefighting foam at the Jetport, lawmakers intend to make state follow

By Emmett Gartner | The Maine Monitor | January 17, 2025

Read the full article by Emmett Gartner (The Maine Monitor)

"As the Portland Fire Department transitions away from firefighting foam laden with ‘forever chemicals’ at the Portland International Jetport, a state lawmaker is pushing for the rest of Maine to follow.

State Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) teased a bill in Augusta on Tuesday that would create a statewide collection and disposal process for the toxic foam, called 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, officials told The Maine Monitor."