The BEAT News April 9, 2008

BEAT to Present Two Workshops on Vernal Pools

April 12 – Vernal Pools – Ecology and Conservation with Tom Tyning
This workshop will provide an in depth look into the science and policy of vernal pools.  It is recommended for Conservation Commissioners, City Planners, foresters, educators, and anyone else whose profession brings them into contact with these natural wonders.

April 13 -Berkshire Environmental Action Team is presenting a Vernal Pool Certification Training Workshop for lay-people, volunteers, and concerned citizens.  This afternoon workshop will offer a FREE crash course in vernal pool certification to anyone who is willing to commit to certifying at least one pool over the coming year.
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Berkshire Delegation votes for the Environment

Representatives Denis Guyer, Chris Speranzo, Smitty Pignatelli, and Senator Benjamin Downing all received a 100% environmental voting score from Mass Audubon! The only member of the “Berkshire Delegation” who fell short was Representative Daniel Bosley.

From the Berkshire Eagle:

Most of Berkshire delegation receives perfect score on [green] voting

By Cara Hogan, Eagle Boston Bureau

Article Last Updated: 04/10/2008 11:45:04 AM EDT
Thursday, April 10

BOSTON — All but one of the state lawmakers from the Berkshire delegation received top marks for their work on environmental issues in the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s 23rd annual Legislative Report Card released this week.

“I think it’s great that I received 100 percent,” said Rep. Denis E. Guyer, D-Dalton, who received a perfect score from the environmental group, which rated legislators on their positions on clean energy and open space conservation. <more>
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Discounted Rain Barrels offered by Town of Lenox*

The Towns of Lenox and Lee are pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to provide 40 SkyJuice rain barrels to Lenox and  Lee residents at the discounted price of $55, almost 40% off the retail price of $90.  The Towns have teamed up with SkyJuice New England to offer these rain barrels to help residents conserve water, save money and reduce stormwater run-off.  Once the 20 DEP rain barrels are sold, residents may purchase the SkyJuice Rain Barrels for the low price of $65.

A rain barrel collects water from the roof when it rains and stores it for use during dry weather to water house plants or outside plantings. Collecting water in a rain barrel is an excellent way to save some of the runoff and take the pressure off our water supply and stormwater management systems.  By using the rainwater on your gardens you are helping to replenish your groundwater and benefit our water supply.  A one-inch rainfall on a 1,000 square foot roof yields 562 gallons of water. A quarter inch run-off will easily fill a barrel.  Five rainy days can provide 275 gallons of free water.  Collected rainfall is especially valuable during droughts or dry conditions. It contains more nutrients and less salts than tap water, so it’s great for plants.

SkyJuice rain barrels are made from 60-gallon recycled food grade barrels in a terra cotta or grey color.  The fully screened intake port keeps mosquitoes, insects, and debris out.  The lid can be removed for easy cleaning and for storing hoses inside the barrel during the winter.  The solid brass threaded spigot can be connected to a regular hose or soaker hose.  The overflow connector and tubing can be used to direct water away from the foundation or to join multiple barrels for additional storage capacity.

The Town of Lenox is taking orders through April 28 and has scheduled a rain barrel pick-up day on May 3, 2008 at Lenox Memorial Middle High Shchool from 1-6PM during the Green Living Fair.  To order a rain barrel, call Mary Ellen Deming at the Lenox Selectmen’s Office at 637-5500.    Please make your check out to Skyjuice and mail to: Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker Street, Lenox, MA  01240

*Barrels are available for all Berkshire County residents, not just Lenox and Lee, on a first come-first served basis.
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Global Warming, Energy Depletion Course Available at BCC

Global warming and world energy resources depletion will be the topic
of a new course starting this month at Berkshire Community College. The
course, “Global Warming, Peak Oil and Humanity” (ENV-128-01), will
meet once a week in the evening for four weeks and is open to the public
as well as BCC students.

The instructor for the one-credit course, which was not listed in
BCC’s spring semester schedule, is Mark Miller, a former editor of
The Berkshire Eagle who worked on the daily news summary of the Climate
Crisis Coalition in 2005 and 2006.

Classes will be held Thursday evening from 5:30 to 9:15 beginning April
24 and ending May 15. The course will include reading assignments from
recent books and articles, lectures, guest appearances by specialists in
the topics under consideration, a final exam, and a class project or
individual research projects.

Anyone from the public wishing to take the course may do so as a
non-degree student without having to apply for admission to BCC. When
registering, both degree and non-degree students may also indicate that
they are not interested in receiving a grade for the course and simply
wish to audit it without have to complete course assignments or
examinations. All students, regardless of their status, must satisfy an
English prerequisite in basic reading and writing before registering for
this course.

For more information, or to register, call BCC’s Academic Advising
Center at 413-236-1620; or 800-816-1233 (in Mass. only), Ext. 1620. All
registrations should be completed no later than Wednesday, April 16.
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WHY YOU SHOULD EMAIL THE EPA TODAY
(from Mike Ward’s Ward-4 Newsletter, Monday, April 7, 2008)

If there is one thing that Pittsfield residents can agree on it’s that we don’t need another PCB landfill. But that’s precisely what GE recommended a couple weeks ago in their Rest of River proposal.

It may seem that the landfill issue is a no-brainer, but not when you consider the fact that the EPA has the authority to locate a landfill here whether we like it or not.

That is why Councilor Sherman and I are petitioning the City Council tomorrow. And that is why you should email the EPA today.

The EPA’s Rest of River project manager is Susan Svirsky and her email address is Svirsky.Susan@ epamail.epa. gov. Tell her you think a new PCB landfill in Pittsfield is unacceptable.

I personally have a lot of other issues with the proposed plan and frankly I’m still researching this stuff.

One thing that struck me is the absurdity of committing to a multi-decade cleanup plan when the technology is continually emerging. I’m sure that’s convenient for GE because it contains their cost. But it’s also dumb because new methods may end up being less invasive and more cost effective.

Why can’t we turn this into an opportunity for Pittsfield? The Housatonic River could be the classroom for next-generation PCB cleanup research. And Pittsfield could be the world center of PCB remediation studies.  Instead of prescribing a remedy that may be worse than the disease, the EPA should spend GE’s money wisely on new science — not on digging up mud and dropping it in a new location. My two year old son can do that.

I think we should take the time to decide on an intelligent course of action. Our river isn’t getting any worse. In fact those who spend time on the river say it is very much alive. Do we really have to kill the Housatonic to save it? I’m not convinced we do.

Mike Ward
City Councilor
Ward 4 Pittsfield, MA
ward4ward4.com
413-499-0462
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CLF Seeks Restrictions on Stormwater Pollution

Across New England, stormwater is one of the leading sources of pollution for our rivers, lakes and streams. 
In Massachusetts, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is currently in court for a lawsuit charging the Highway Department with violating federal clean water laws by dumping polluted stormwater into neighboring rivers and streams. At issue in the case is MassHighway’s alleged failure to implement a key provision of the federal Clean Water Act requiring them to develop a plan controlling and cleaning up polluted water that flows off its 4,000 miles of roads and bridges.

>> Learn more about CLF’s Massachusetts Highway Dept. lawsuit to reduce stormwater pollution
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a 30-day extension to the Informal Public Input Period on GE’s Corrective Measures Study (CMS) for the Housatonic River Site, Rest of River. EPA will now accept public comments through May 20, 2008. The public input period opened on March 22, 2008

The CMS is available on EPA’s website: www.epa.gov/ne/ge The report is located in the Rest of River section under GE Reports/Documents. The direct link is: http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/restofriver/reports/cms/283374_CMS_Report.pdf

The CMS includes GE’s recommendations on which alternatives the company believes best meet the objectives and criteria specified for the Rest of River project. EPA has started a review of GE’s CMS and will be accepting comments from the CCC and the general public as well as from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and other interested organizations and individuals.

Comments may be submitted to:
Susan Svirsky
(svirsky.susan@epa.gov),
EPA Rest of River Project Manager
c/o Weston Solutions
10 Lyman Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
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