For the first time in 20 years, the state is looking to hire outside counsel to represent it in a legal case.

Last time, it was to make sure Maine got its share of funds from tobacco manufacturers to pay for smoking-related health care costs and to launch prevention programs.

This time, the defendants will be the manufacturers of the “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancer and have polluted Maine farm fields and drinking water, Attorney General Aaron Frey said last week.

“Maine’s ability to ensure that those chemical companies that we allege knew their chemicals were deadly, but continued to profit off them, they need to be held accountable for the harm they have ravished on individuals, on farms, on well water, our animals, ourselves,” he said in an interview with Spectrum News.

Frey received permission from the Legislature last session to hire outside attorneys with expertise in this type of litigation. Hiring those attorneys is one of the major goals Frey has set for his office for the next two years now that the Legislature, led by fellow Democrats, has reappointed him to his post.

A former state lawmaker from Bangor, Frey hesitated to give a specific timeline on when he will hire an outside law firm to handle the cases involving PFAS, a group of chemicals used in carpeting, cleaning products, paint and fire-fighting foams.

“More details, in terms of the specifics of who has been secured or will be secured, there will be information on that forthcoming in the not terribly distant future,” he said.

PFAS has been found in sludge spread on some farms in Maine and in well water.

Exposure to high levels of PFAS can lead to increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney and testicular and may lead to developmental delays in children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In October, members of Maine’s Congressional delegation announced they were co-sponsoring legislation to help farmers affected by PFAS with funds to help them monitor and test for the chemicals and relocate if necessary.

At the state level, a $60 million fund has been created to help farmers with costs associated with PFAS contamination.

Those costs may include direct support for lost income or equipment for remediation strategies, medical testing and monitoring for farmers and their families and research that could identify soil and water remediation systems.

“The threat of PFAS is not a hypothetical — Maine farmers are already losing crops, land and livestock to contaminants and if we don’t act quick, the crisis’ human health risks will escalate,” Sen. Angus King, an independent, said in an October statement.