Hon. Dale Crafts’ April 1 op-ed was wrong about Maine’s nationally recognized work to protect our communities from PFAS contamination (“Commentary: Maine response to PFAS amounts to regulatory overreach”).

In 2021, I sponsored a bill to stop the negative environmental and public health effects of PFAS chemicals at the source. It became law with overwhelming bipartisan support because lawmakers from across the state understood that we need to take bold action to protect Mainers from further PFAS contamination.

We heard so many heartbreaking stories from impacted farmers and rural communities about the effect that PFAS contamination has had on their livelihoods and the health of their families. We knew we had to take action to reduce the source of contamination and protect the health of all Mainers. As the sponsor of the legislation, I am proud of what we accomplished and the leadership role Maine has continued to play on the issue of PFAS.

This is a complex and brand new policy area. Hurdles are inevitable. But the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is doing great work with limited resources to implement this law and reduce the sources of PFAS in our state. We need to provide them with necessary staff to do the work instead of bowing to industry pressure to allow continued harm to our communities.

Contrary to what the op-ed claimed, other states are looking to Maine on this issue and following our example. At least 16 states are working to regulate PFAS, including restrictions on its use and requirements for disclosure of use in household products.

Maine’s motto is “I lead.” Mainers don’t stand idly by just because doing the right thing would be difficult. That’s why our policymakers are meeting the challenges of PFAS contamination head on and will continue to lead the nation on this issue.