The BEAT News March 26, 2014

News Headlines

Thank you for standing up for GMO labeling, let’s keep it up!

We have some fantastic news:

Thanks to all of your efforts, a GMO labeling bill was voted favorably out of committee yesterday by the Environment/Agriculture committee!

 

We don’t yet have all the details about what happens next, but we wanted to share this good news with all of our supporters and volunteers across the state. YOU made this possible! This is a huge win not only for Massachusetts but for the national GMO labeling movement!

 

For now, we ask that anyone who contacted members of the Environment/Agriculture committee (including Chairwoman Gobi and Chairman Pacheco) to please contact them again and THANK THEM for responding to the will of the people.

Please thank the committee members!

“Thank you for hearing our calls for greater food transparency! I’m so happy to hear that the committee voted a GMO labeling bill favorably out of committee. I hope I can count on you to help pass a strong GMO labeling bill this year!”

 

You can see the full list of committee members with their contact info and links to social media outlets, here: marighttoknow.org/TYEnvironment

 

We have seen the text of the redrafted bill (H.813) and it’s something we can work with. It does now include a trigger clause similar to Connecticut’s, meaning we would need other states to pass similar laws before ours would take effect.

As another update, we now have 53 legislators who have signed on in support!  Is your legislator on there? http://marighttoknow.com/home/legislative-support/endorsements/

 

We made it past this first hurdle, but this is only the beginning. We’re going to need your help to keep the pressure on and to bring ever more people on board in support of GMO labeling!

Please stay tuned for more updates as they become available.  Thank you, again, for all of your support! With all of your help, we’re going to win this. We will have commonsense GMO labeling so that everyone can now what they’re eating and feeding their families!

 

On behalf of the MA Right to Know GMOs steering committee,

 

Martin Dagoberto

Campaign Coordinator, MA Right to Know GMOs

Special thanks to our coalition partners: MASSPIRG, NOFA/Mass and Moveon.org as well as our partners at Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee, GMO Free Massachusetts, Citizens for GMO Labeling and over 100 other organizations and businesses who have signed on as Network Partners.

MA Right to Know GMOs

P.O. Box 441

Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Return to list of headlines

Sí Se Puede: A Spanish Webinar Series on Advocacy Rules for Nonprofits

When: Beginning March 26, 2014, every week for 4 weeks from 2PM EST/11AM PST

Cost: Free

**Note: The webinars will only be in Spanish

Alliance for Justice is pleased to offer this series of four FREE Spanish webinars for organizations working to promote and defend causes important to their communities. This series will begin March 26, 2014 and extend until April 16. Each webinar will discuss a legal question related to advocacy by 501(c)(3) public charities.

 

Participants will learn:

 

• How much lobbying can public charities do, and what qualifies as lobbying?

• How can 501(c)(3) public charities engage in advocacy during election periods?

• What rules govern the collaboration between 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(5) organizations?

• What can 501(c)(3) public charities do to promote and oppose ballot measures, and what are the relevant laws to consider?

Register here for the entire series

 

Seize the Initiative: Nonprofit Organizations and Ballot Measure Campaigns

When: Tuesday, April 8th, 2pm ET/11am PT (Lasts one hour)

Cost: $35

The last few election cycles have seen a rise in the use of ballot initiatives by groups across the political spectrum. The ballot initiative process can be an effective tool for nonprofits, including 501(c)(3) public charities, to bring about change in public policy. Both state law and federal tax law permit 501(c)(3) public charities to participate in the ballot initiative process.

This one-hour webinar addresses:

  • May a 501(c)(3) group endorse or oppose a ballot measure?
  • May a 501(c)(3) organization contribute money to a ballot measure campaign?
  • How may a 501(c)(3) organization work in a coalition with a 501(c)(4) or PAC on an initiative?

Click here to register.

Return to list of headlines

Clean Up in Sight for Stormwater Pollution: EPA Region 1 Leaves Open Decision for Future Action

from the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)

By the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) own estimate, tens of thousands of businesses currently fly under the radar of the Clean Water Act – meaning neither EPA nor the states regulate them. Instead these tens of thousands of businesses discharge dirty stormwater that pollutes our waters. This is not only illegal, it is harmful to humans and wildlife.

In an effort to force these businesses to change their polluting ways, last summer, CLF and our partners, the Natural Resources Defense Counsel and American Rivers, filed a petition with EPA to hold these polluters accountable and address the issue of stormwater runoff at a regionwide level. In a disappointing move, on March 11, Region 1 of EPA wrote to CLF and its partners that it would neither grant nor deny the petition, instead committing to address the problem one waterbody at a time.

In essence, the petition identified polluted waters throughout Region 1 (the New England States) and presented evidence that stormwater carried pollution from existing commercial, industrial and institutional sites to those polluted waters. The Clean Water Act requires that such sources of stormwater pollution be regulated, but the truth is that these sites are not held accountable for the toxins they discharge along with stormwater runoff. We asked EPA to issue permits requiring these kinds of sites to clean up their stormwater discharges, using the agency’s “residual authority” under the Clean Water Act.

Right now, the burden of cleaning up after these thousands of polluting businesses rests with city and town governments – and, by extension, taxpayers. It is absolutely critical that these commercial, industrial and institutional pollution sources are required to bear their fair share of the clean-up responsibility. Our city and town governments can’t, and shouldn’t, do it alone. Why should taxpayers be subsidizing pollution clean up at big box stores, malls, car dealerships, and private universities? Our petition was targeted at assisting cities and towns by assuring that polluters pay for the problems they cause either directly, or by paying money to local utilities to implement clean-up measures. Unless there is a regulatory requirement to drive investment in pollution controls, these polluters have no incentive to do their part – and they haven’t been.

Finally, there is no question that EPA needs more staffing and resources to regulate these sites. There are real pollution consequences to the indiscriminate budget-cutting inflicted on EPA by politicians that support polluters over public health and safety.

So, while Region 1’s decision to not grant the petition is disappointing, we are encouraged that EPA Region 1 did not deny the petition outright. In response to the petition, EPA Region 1 has begun evaluating watersheds (the area that drains into a river or lake) throughout the region to consider further regulatory requirements. This means that instead of tackling the problem for the entire region now (as we requested), EPA is on a path to approaching the problem one polluted water body at a time. With tens of thousands of sources polluting 1,711 waters throughout New England, can we afford to take the slow path set forth by EPA? Will these waters ever be restored to places we can fish and swim, and that support wildlife?

CLF remains committed to reversing stormwater pollution and will continue to fight for clean water throughout New England. In the near term, we will work with EPA as they implement the review process announced last week—and to advocate for a responsive process that acknowledges the urgency of the region’s stormwater runoff dilemma.

This post was co-written by Chris Kilian, VP and Director, CLF Vermont and Clean Water and Healthy Forests, and Ivy Frignoca, Staff Attorney.

The post No Clean Up in Sight for Stormwater Pollution: EPA Region 1 Leaves Open Decision for Future Action appeared first on Conservation Law Foundation.

Return to list of headlines

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Clarify Protection for Nation’s Streams and Wetlands

Agriculture’s Exemptions and Exclusions from Clean Water Act Expanded by Proposal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) today jointly released a proposed rule to clarify protection under the Clean Water Act for streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources. The proposed rule will benefit businesses by increasing efficiency in determining coverage of the Clean Water Act. The agencies are launching a robust outreach effort over the next 90 days, holding discussions around the country and gathering input needed to shape a final rule.

Determining Clean Water Act protection for streams and wetlands became confusing and complex following Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006. For nearly a decade, members of Congress, state and local officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, and the public asked for a rulemaking to provide clarity.

The proposed rule clarifies protection for streams and wetlands. The proposed definitions of waters will apply to all Clean Water Act programs. It does not protect any new types of waters that have not historically been covered under the Clean Water Act and is consistent with the Supreme Court’s more narrow reading of Clean Water Act jurisdiction.

“We are clarifying protection for the upstream waters that are absolutely vital to downstream communities,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Clean water is essential to every single American, from families who rely on safe places to swim and healthy fish to eat, to farmers who need abundant and reliable sources of water to grow their crops, to hunters and fishermen who depend on healthy waters for recreation and their work, and to businesses that need a steady supply of water for operations.”

“America’s waters and wetlands are valuable resources that must be protected today and for future generations,” said Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy. “Today’s rulemaking will better protect our aquatic resources, by strengthening the consistency, predictability, and transparency of our jurisdictional determinations. The rule’s clarifications will result in a better public service nationwide.”

The health of rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal waters depend on the streams and wetlands where they begin. Streams and wetlands provide many benefits to communities – they trap floodwaters, recharge groundwater supplies, remove pollution, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. They are also economic drivers because of their role in fishing, hunting, agriculture, recreation, energy, and manufacturing.

About 60 percent of stream miles in the U.S only flow seasonally or after rain, but have a considerable impact on the downstream waters. And approximately 117 million people – one in three Americans – get drinking water from public systems that rely in part on these streams. These are important waterways for which EPA and the Army Corps is clarifying protection.

Specifically, the proposed rule clarifies that under the Clean Water Act and based on the science:

  • Most seasonal and rain dependent streams are protected.
  • Wetlands near rivers and streams are protected.
  • Other types of waters may have more uncertain connections with downstream water and protection will be evaluated through a case specific analysis of whether the connection is or is not protecting similarly situated waters in certain geographic areas or adding to the categories of waters protected without case specific analysis.

The proposed rule preserves the Clean Water Act exemptions and exclusions for agriculture. Additionally, EPA and the Army Corps have coordinated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop an interpretive rule to ensure that 53 specific conservation practices that protect or improve water quality will not be subject to Section 404 dredged or fill permitting requirements. The agencies will work together to implement these new exemptions and periodically review, and update USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation practice standards and activities that would qualify under the exemption. Any agriculture activity that does not result in the discharge of a pollutant to waters of the U.S. still does not require a permit.

The proposed rule also helps states and tribes – according to a study by the Environmental Law Institute, 36 states have legal limitations on their ability to fully protect waters that aren’t covered by the Clean Water Act.

The proposed rule is supported by the latest peer-reviewed science, including a draft scientific assessment by EPA, which presents a review and synthesis of more than 1,000 pieces of scientific literature. The rule will not be finalized until the final version of this scientific assessment is complete.

Forty years ago, two-thirds of America’s lakes, rivers and coastal waters were unsafe for fishing and swimming. Because of the Clean Water Act, that number has been cut in half. However, one-third of the nation’s waters still do not meet standards.

The proposed rule will be open for public comment for 90 days from publication in the Federal Register. The interpretive rule for agricultural activities is effective immediately.

More information: www.epa.gov/uswaters

Watch Administrator McCarthy’s overview: http://youtu.be/ow-n8zZuDYc

Watch Deputy Chief of Staff Arvin Ganesan’s explanation: http://youtu.be/fOUESH_JmA0

Return to list of headlines

Housatonic Valley Association River Stewards of Tomorrow 2013 Internship Position Available

 

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until May 24th or position is filled.

 

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) is seeking applications for two River Steward of Tomorrow Environmental Internship positions, available for summer 2014. The River Stewards will work throughout the Housatonic Watershed on a variety of projects related to water quality and habitat conservation. River Stewards will split their time between HVA’s main office (located in Cornwall Bridge in the northwest corner of Connecticut) and our Berkshire field office (located in South Lee, Massachusetts). Each River Steward will be expected to complete approximately 240 hours of work from June – August (roughly 30 hours per week over 8 weeks).

Internship Overview: While working out of the Cornwall Bridge office, the 2014 River Stewards will be supervised by the HVA Water Protection Director, but may also be asked to work with other staff as needed. In the Berkshire Office, River Stewards will be supervised by HVA’s Berkshire Director. Work will include a mix of office and field-based activities. Projects that the intern will be expected to participate in include:

  • Water Quality Monitoring. The River Stewards will assist HVA staff with field-based water quality monitoring activities including collecting water quality samples, conducting rapid bioassessments, and conducting visual surveys along important stream reaches to document uses and conditions.
  • Water Quality Data Compilation and Mapping: River Stewards will assist with compiling and summarizing water chemistry data from a variety of local, state and federal sources in MA, NY, and CT.
  • Road/Stream Crossing Assessment.  The River Stewards will visit and assess bridges and culverts in Northwest CT to identify barriers to fish and wildlife passage, and assist with post-assessment data processing.
  • Websites and Social Media.   HVA maintains a website for the organization as well as a website focused on the Naugatuck River, an important tributary of the Housatonic in CT. and a Facebook page.  The intern will be involved in the production of materials for HVA’s website and Facebook page. Related tasks might include identifying and summarizing relevant news items, developing project updates, and creating educational or training videos.
  • Additional opportunities may be available for the intern to assist with other organization work including assisting with land conservation easement monitoring, GIS analysis of land and water resources and membership outreach activities such as guided paddle trips.

Qualifications: The River Stewards will work alongside the industry’s best professionals in one of the oldest watershed organizations in the nation. Candidates must be highly-motivated, interested in pursuing an environmental career, and able to work both independently and as part of a team.

In addition, the ideal candidate will possess:

  • Enthusiasm for outdoor field work (e.g., water quality sampling, habitat surveys), including navigating along potentially unmarked terrain in a variety of weather conditions;
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to represent HVA in a professional manner;
  • Excellent writing skills;
  • Familiarity with basic website administration and social media;
  • Experience using GPS and GIS technologies, including related online tools such as Google Earth and Google Maps.

Requirements: Daily access to a personal vehicle is a requirement of the position. The intern must also be physically able to participate in potentially strenuous field work (i.e. physically active work outside for several hours during hot and/or rainy weather).

Compensation: The intern will be provided with a $2,400 stipend for the course of the internship. Work related travel will be compensated at a rate of $0.48/mile.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should e-mail or mail the following application materials to the Internship Coordinator:

  1. COVER LETTER
  2. RESUME
  3. TWO (2) PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
  4. (Optional) Examples of past projects relevant to HVA’s mission (please limit to 1-2 pages/project, max of three projects)

 

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 25th or the position is filled.
Questions and applications should be directed to:

Michael S. Jastremski, Water Protection Director

Housatonic Valley Association
Mail: PO Box 28, Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754
E-mail: MJ.HVA@outlook.com
Phone: (860) 672-6678

 

About the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA): The Housatonic Valley Association, founded in 1941, works to conserve the natural character and environmental health of our communities by protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Housatonic Watershed for this and future generations.  We are one of the oldest watershed-based conservation groups in the country and have a proven track record of success.

Since 2011, we have protected water resources in the watershed by assessing 100+ miles of streams and identifying more than 800 road culvert crossings for replacement to improve fish habitat connectivity. We helped organize the first river-wide gathering to discuss the merging economic and environmental interests along the Naugatuck. We physically removed many tons of garbage from the rivers of the watershed, completed the first scientific study of the Swamp River in New York, and worked with the state of Massachusetts to complete the Columbia Mill Dam sediment study – the first step towards the dam’s removal. We collaborated with partners to construct multiple new boating access sites and published a Berkshire Paddle Guide for the headwaters of the Housatonic. We also developed an environmental curriculum guide and brought hundreds of students outside to study and experience their local streams and rivers.  We were among the leaders negotiating both stream flow protection regulations in Connecticut and pushing for common-sense PCB cleanup in Massachusetts. We conserved 20 acres of undeveloped riverfront, facilitated funding to design the extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in New York, worked with recreationalists to create a multi-town bike trail in Connecticut, and continued our role as a leader of the Litchfield Hills Greenprint program, a partnership of 23 land trusts in northwest Connecticut.

Learn more about our work and find how you can help by visiting www.hvatoday.org.

Return to list of headlines

A Special Ecobytes Message: We’re Hiring!

The Center for EcoTechnology is growing! We’re hiring to fill a range of green professional positions: energy specialists, contractor services coordinators, customer service representatives, and many more.

Join our hardworking, passionate team and help us help people save energy and reduce waste in their homes. Working with partners throughout the region, CET is helping transform the way we live and work for a better community, economy, and environment – now and for the future.

Click the job descriptions to learn more about joining our team.

  • Scheduling Coordinator
  • Energy Specialist
  • Energy Specialist Lead
  • Customer Service Representative
  • Contractor Services Coordinator
  • Quality Assurance Inspector
  • Inventory Control Specialist
  • Contractor Services Manager
  • Data Management Specialist

 

Tel: (413) 445-4556
www.CETOnline.org

Center for EcoTechnology
112 Elm Street
Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201


Return to list of headlines

Summer Camp Registration is Now Open for the Summer Outdoor Learning Adventure at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center

One can spend a lifetime exploring nature’s mysteries and beauty. This nature day camp for kids aged 6 thorugh 13 will kindle interest and spark curiousity in the natural world in which we live.
Each session will offer age-appropriate activities in outdoor living skills, ecology, plants and wildlife, and nature study.  Each day will be an exciting blend of fun and learning taught through games, crafts, hikes, and hands-on discoveries.

Choose between one or two week options.
Fee: $175 or $155 members for one week
$325 or $300 members for two weeks

Download a brochure here: brochure2014page1 brochure14 page2

Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment by check must be received to hold your place.
Scholarships are available to those who may otherwise be unable to attend. Download a scholarship application here: scholarship application.2014

” This is the best camp I’ve ever been to. It’s so much fun. I love playing the games, fishing and being outside all day. And the counselors are the best. ”  Andrea Black 2013

” I love everything about this camp. I want to stay here all summer.”  Justin Carpenter 2013
More information, video and dates of camp can be found on our website at: http://www.dykenpond.org

Please contact Lisa Hoyt with questions you may have at:
(518) 658-2055 or dykenpond@fairpoint.net
The Summer Outdoor Learning Adventure is  co-sponsored by the Friends of Dyken Pond and Rensselaer County’s Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center.
Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
475 Dyken Pond Road
Cropseyville, New York 12052
http://www.dykenpond.org

Return to list of headlines

Back To Top