Can Hemp Fix Agriculture’s PFAS Problem?

After the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production for the first time since the 1970s, Chelli Stanley started seeking out polluted land for an experiment. Hemp is a hyperaccumulator, meaning toxins from soil can be absorbed through the plant’s roots. Inspired by Indigenous activist John Trudell, the journalist and environmentalist wanted to grow hemp to see if it could clean up contaminated soil.

She eventually met Richard Silliboy, Vice Chief of the Mi’kmaq Nation. In 2009, the Tribe had acquired the former Loring Airforce Base. Located in the small town of Limestone, Maine, the military previously used the land for over 40 years as a firefighting testing area. Upon inspection, the Tribe found the soil and groundwater was thoroughly contaminated with PFAS from toxic firefighting foam. It was so polluted, in fact, that the EPA deemed it a Superfund site, putting it on the national priority list for hazard clean-up.