Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Waste management · United States · 2022–2023

Maine PFAS sludge farms

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 4 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

In May 2023 the PFAS Project reported that high PFAS levels had been found on 56 farms in Maine. A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out.

56Farms in Maine found with high PFAS levels, as reported in May 2023
PFAS Project, May 2023. A $60 million fund had been set up; about $1 million had been paid out.

Status As of May 2023 (latest verified item): 56 Maine farms with high PFAS levels, a $60 million fund and about $1 million paid out; later developments are unverified.

What?
High PFAS levels were found on 56 farms in Maine; a $60 million fund was set up and about $1 million had been paid out by May 2023. PFAS Project
Where?
Maine, United States. PFAS Project
When?
Reported May 2023. PFAS Project
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Farms in Maine — 56 farms found with high PFAS levels (May 2023). PFAS Project
Why?
Not established in the verified record.
How?
Not established in the verified record.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

In May 2023 the PFAS Project reported that high PFAS levels had been found on 56 farms in Maine, United States. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals that persist in soil and water.

The same report recorded that a fund of $60 million had been set up for farms affected by PFAS and that about $1 million had been paid out from it at that time.

  1. 2023May: PFAS Project reports high PFAS levels on 56 Maine farms; a $60 million fund exists and about $1 million has been paid out

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

    Recorded

    • High PFAS levels were found on 56 farms in Maine (PFAS Project, May 2023).
      PFAS Project
    • A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out (PFAS Project, May 2023).
      PFAS Project

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What nature saw

    Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

    Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

    Farms with high PFAS levels
    56
    As reported by the PFAS Project, May 2023
    Fund set up for affected farms
    $60 million
    About $1 million paid out at the time of the report

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Maine banned the spreading of sewage sludge on land in 2022, described as the first such state ban (Land Trust Alliance, April 2022, via a secondary summary).
    • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that the PFAS on the Maine farms came from sewage sludge spread on the land.
    • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: by 2024 more than 60 Maine farms had unsafe PFAS levels.
    • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: well water at Songbird Farm measured 400 times the state limit, and the state bought the farm in May 2026 (Bangor Daily News, 22 May 2026).

    Did the harm stop?

    Who paid?

    A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out by May 2023.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    2. Maine acquires PFAS Songbird Farm
      Bangor Daily News · 2026-05-22

    Communities and civil society

    Terms used on this page

    Science and environment

    PFOA (C8) and PFAS
    PFAS are a large family of human-made chemicals that persist in the environment and the body; PFOA, also called C8, is one of them and was used to make Teflon.
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