Rep. Blier says PFAS private-well testing may impose undue costs on landlords; committee advances bill

A focused exchange during the Appropriations Committee’s session centered on LD 493, which would expand testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in private drinking-water wells.

Representative Drew Gautin moved LD 493 "in as amended"; Representative Mark Blier pressed the committee on the practical and financial effects of the requirement. Blier said the PFAS-specific test costs $375 and is expected every five years. He warned that, unlike other contaminants that can be removed, PFAS has no simple point-of-use remedy, leaving property owners aware of contamination but without an obvious fix.

"It's $375 per test, and we're doing these tests every 5 years. And the problem is there's no remedy... you can't remove this product," Blier said. He told the committee that recurring testing requirements without available remediation could impose recurring costs on landlords and ultimately increase rents.

No technical remediation solution was proposed during the meeting. After the exchange and the stated fiscal adjustments in the amendment, the committee moved LD 493 as amended; the clerk recorded the vote as 8–3 in favor.

The committee did not adopt language in the transcript that would specify remediation pathways or state-funded remedies; staff fiscal notes and the amendment timing were discussed but no follow-up assignment to produce remediation options was recorded on the transcript.