Gov. Janet Mills has signed one of several bills aimed at preventing another discharge of “forever chemical”-containing firefighting foam at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.

The governor signed LD 407, An Act to Prohibit the Use of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam at the Former Brunswick Naval Air Station, last week.

It stipulates that starting Jan. 1, 2026, the use and storage of AFFF — a fire suppression foam containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS — will be prohibited at the former air station. Now known as Brunswick Landing, the area is operated by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which has overseen the development of homes, businesses and the Brunswick Executive Airport on the former base.

LD 407 among several “forever chemicals” bills that lawmakers are considering this session following a catastrophic firefighting spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport’s hangar 4 in August 2024. The spill released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS, mixed with 50,000 gallons of water.

“The Governor was pleased to sign this bill into law to direct the permanent removal of harmful fire suppressant foam from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station,” a Mills spokesperson said in an email. “This accountability measure will avoid future environmental harm and give the community peace of mind about conducting business at Brunswick Landing in the years ahead.”

MRRA Executive Director Dan Stevenson said the authority is on-track to remove all AFFF by the end of the calendar year, as required by the law.

“We were aware of [LD 407] and had worked with Rep. (Dan) Ankeles on it,” Stevenson said.

Brunswick Executive Airport’s hangar 5 still contains an active AFFF system. MRRA shut off the system in hangar 6 and removed 975 gallons of AFFF concentrate, which was shipped out by the Army Corps of Engineers for research last month.

MRRA has also removed AFFF from hangar 7, which remains on-site as it awaits transportation by PFAS remediation company ECT2. ECT2 has also removed remnants of AFFF from hangar 6, Stevenson said.

The now-law assigns the Department of Environmental Protection with enforcing the prohibition on property leased or owned by MRRA.

Brunswick lawmakers have backed four additional bills related to the August 2024 PFAS spill.

The bills call for a statewide foam inventory (LD 400); a state-run voluntary foam collection, storage and disposal program (LD 222); increased public information on PFAS contamination standards (LD 1786); and the restructuring of the MRRA to add more oversight by members of the Brunswick community (LD 1637).

Both LD 400 and LD 222, the state inventory and takeback programs, are awaiting funding in the Senate before they reach the governor’s desk.

LD 1786 and LD 1637 have both received initial approval in committee and face additional votes in the House and Senate.

The AFFF prohibition bill was introduced by Ankeles and backed by other Brunswick-area lawmakers, including Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry and Rep. Poppy Arford.

“I’m very grateful to my colleagues for passing LD 407, the governor for signing it, and the people of Brunswick for using the power of their advocacy to ensure its success,” Ankeles wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday, calling the legislation “a victory for every resident in the path of the spill.”

“Brunswick will still have plenty to reckon with, especially those on private wells,” Ankeles continued. “We must remain diligent in our efforts to protect them and make them whole, and we must keep pushing those in power not to abandon a cleanup effort that is likely to go on for years. Nobody deserves to be exposed to these poisons, in Brunswick or anywhere else.”

Daughtry thanked the Brunswick community for its engagement in getting PFAS bills passed in the legislature.

“I’m proud to have worked on legislation to better protect Maine from future environmental disasters,” Daughtry wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday night. “I’m especially happy that public testimony shaped these policies — this was truly a community-driven effort.”

“I’m grateful to Rep. Ankeles for introducing LD 407, which I co-sponsored, and proud to have sponsored LD 1637 to help hold local decision-makers accountable,” she said. “Thank you to the entire Brunswick area delegation for their commitment. Together, these efforts mark a strong step toward prevention, transparency, and lasting protections for Maine.”