Maine Proposes Rule to Clarify Reporting Requirements for PFAS in Products
On February 14, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (“MDEP”) published a proposed rule clarifying Maine’s PFAS reporting requirement under the state’s “An Act to Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution,” which became effective January 1, 2023. Manufacturers of products for sale in the state which contain intentionally added PFAS are required by the statute to submit information to MDEP. Information required under the law includes a description of the product, the purpose for which PFAS are used in the product, and the amount of each PFAS included (identified by its chemical abstract services registry number or CAS number). More than 1,000 companies anticipated compliance difficulties, particularly with the January 1 effective date, and requested that MDEP grant them a six-month extension. MDEP granted the request affording the companies additional time to work with their supply chain partners to determine whether any PFAS are intentionally added to any component of their product.
The February 14 proposed rule provides additional clarification on notification requirements and sales prohibitions under the statute, including providing more thorough definitions than the definitions included within the statute. For example, the statutory definition of “intentionally added PFAS” is PFAS added to a product or one of its product components to provide a specific characteristic, appearance, or quality or to perform a specific function; this also includes degradation by-products of PFAS. The new proposed rule expands on this definition to read as follows:
“”Intentionally added PFAS’ means PFAS added to a product or one of its product components in order to provide a specific characteristic, appearance, or quality or to perform a specific function. Intentionally added PFAS also includes any degradation byproducts of PFAS serving a functional purpose or technical effect within the product or its components. Products containing intentionally added PFAS include products that consist solely of PFAS. Intentionally added PFAS does not include PFAS that is present in the final product as a contaminant.”
The term manufacturer was also significantly expanded upon, with the proposed rule putting forth the following definition:
“’Manufacturer’ means the person that manufactures a product or whose brand name is legally affixed to the product. In the case of a product that is imported into the United States where the person that manufactured or assembled the product or whose brand name is affixed to the product does not have a presence in the United States, manufacturer includes either the importer or the first domestic distributor of the product, whichever is first to sell, offer for sale, or distribute for sale the product in the State of Maine.”
MDEP also noted situations in which the importer is considered to be the manufacturer, stating:
“Certain online retail platforms may allow for purchase of products directly from a producer. When no other person meets the definition of manufacturer under this Chapter, and the product is sold, offered for sale, or distributed for sale in the State of Maine, the Department will consider the importer to be the manufacturer. When it is possible to consider both entities the manufacturer, the Department will consider the party who controls the formulation of the product and its PFAS content to be the manufacturer.”
The proposed rule also discusses prohibitions on the sale of products containing intentionally added PFAS. It reminds manufacturers that the sale of carpets, rugs, or fabrics containing intentionally added PFAS is prohibited as of January 1 of this year. It also reminds manufacturers that a ban on all products containing intentionally added PFAS must be phased out before January 1, 2030.
