The BEAT News October 1, 2014

News Headlines

Please send items of interest to Kristen.

 

Holyoke’s Coal-Fired Mt. Tom Power Plant Announces Formal Shutdown Date

From Conservation Law Foundation 24 Sep 2014

Mt. Tom’s owners announced this summer that they would retire the 54-year-old coal plant, and today, GDF Suez filed the official request with the electric system operator to retire this last Massachusetts coal-fired power plant by June 2018. This is great news for the residents who have breathed the pollution from Mt. Tom since it first began operation in 1960. This follows the recent announcement by Somerset’s Brayton Point, the largest coal-fired power plant in New England, that it will retire by June 2017, and the final shutdown of Salem Harbor Station earlier this year.

This request to retire, if approved, will obligate Mt. Tom’s owners to retire the facility permanently, and marks the formal finish for coal in Massachusetts. Conservation Law Foundation has been fighting for decades to reveal the dismal economics of coal and to support an effective transition to sustainable clean energy in New England. This announcement comes only a year after Mt. Tom’s owners were required to install new monitors to measure soot from the facility as the result of a 2011 call by CLF for enforcement of more than 2,500 Clean Air Act violations at the facility.

Holyoke is better prepared than most communities for this retirement because of the work of a local coalition, Action for a Healthy Holyoke, and the statewide Coal Free Massachusetts coalition. These groups, along with CLF, have been working to create a better future for Holyoke for years, and, as a result, the City has been evaluating potential impacts of retirement and potential re-use options for more than two years. Recent legislation will help them further that work with a formal re-use study supported by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Renewable energy is on the horizon for Holyoke. Earlier this year, based on CLF’s coal pant retirement work in Salem and Somerset, CLF garnered an important commitment from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to direct the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to offer host communities, like Holyoke, up to $2 million to develop a clean energy strategy, including the construction of a renewable energy project within the community. Thanks to that commitment, Holyoke will have the opportunity to work with DOER to move toward cleaner energy either on the site of the retired plant or elsewhere within the community.

CLF will work to ensure that Mt. Tom’s request to retire permanently is approved in the coming months to create an opportunity for new resources to come on-line, and will continue to work to build a clean and sustainable energy future for New England.

The post Holyoke’s Coal-Fired Mt. Tom Power Plant Announces Formal Shutdown Date appeared first on Conservation Law Foundation.

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Miller’s An Enemy of the People

The Truth Can Be Toxic

Oct 2-19

This fall, Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is proud to present a play that has strong relevance to our communities: Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People.

 

An Enemy of the People tells the story of one man’s brave struggle to do the right thing in the face of extreme social intolerance. This powerful drama explores the impact of polluted waters

in a small town and the consequences one man faces when he uncovers the truth.

 

  • Student matinees: we are offering four special student-only matinee performances at 10am on Oct 7, 9, 15 & 17 for middle & high schools. Special Student Rates: $15 for Student Matinees ONLY
  • Groups if your student group is unable to attend during a student-only matinee performance, we also offer a 25% discount on the regular ticket price to groups of 15 or more at our regular performances.
  • Free panel discussions and talk backs:
    • October 5 @ 1pm: Working Toward a Clean Future: A Present Day Look at the Berkshire Environment                                                                                                                                                 A conversation with Dr. Henry Art, Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies at Williams College, Judy Grinnell, Director of the Hoosic River Revival, and Dennis Regan, the Berkshire County Director of the Housatonic Valley Association.
    • October 8: performance starts at 7pm:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Join us for a post-show talkback with the cast of the show.
    • October 12 @ 5:30pm: Housatonic River clean-up: what’s next?                                                                                                                                                                                      Leaders in the movement to clean up the Housatonic River will discuss the past, present and future of the PCB-contamination of the watershed. What can we expect will be done in the next 5 years, 10 years and for future generations?
  • Student matinees: we are offering four special student-only matinee performances at 10am on Oct 7, 9, 15 & 17 for middle & high schools. Special Student Rates: $15 for Student Matinees ONLY

 

Don’t miss this riveting production of Arthur Miller’s An Enemy of the People.  For more information, please contact me at 413-997-6118 or jlabrasca@barringtonstageco.org.

 

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RootsCamp Scholarships Available

RootsCamp is a one-of-a-kind gathering of organizers and activists of all stripes. From folks bringing back the latest lessons from the field to those developing the newest developments in tech, they will all be there.

But it’s not about the big names, it’s about the people doing the work like you. That’s why we want to help you get there, and why we are upping the amount of scholarship dollars we are offering this year.

All you need to do is apply.

Apply now for your chance at a RootsCamp scholarship.

Whether it’s help with a flight, a tank of gas, or a hotel room, let us know what you need.

We will be awarding scholarships on a rolling basis — which means the earlier you apply, the better your chances.

Apply now and you could be booking your ticket for RootsCamp in no time.

Thanks,

Eric

P.S. We want to make this the largest RootsCamp in history and we really want you to be there for it. Apply now for a RootsCamp scholarship.

 

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 COME EXPLORE WITH US
Preschool Nature Class at Sheep Hill

The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation is offering weekly autumn nature classes for preschoolers at its Sheep Hill property Thursday mornings from 10:00-11:00 AM beginning October 23. The classes will run through November 13.

The weekly classes will include stories, crafts, and outdoor play and nature exploration focusing on how nature prepares for winter.  Environmental Educator Kathy Chesney will lead the class.
The cost for the four-week session is $45, $35 for WRLF members.  Please call to ask about cost for a single session.  Pre-registration is required, and there must be 5 children registered for the program to run.  A parent or guardian must accompany each two children.

Sheep Hill, a conservation property and the headquarters of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, is the perfect place for children to experience and explore the natural world. This child-friendly conservation property offers room to roam, and indoor facilities for getting out of the weather.

For more information contact the WRLF at ruraland@wrlf.org, or 458-2494.
The WRLF is a member-supported non-profit land conservation trust dedicated to preserving the rural New England character of Williamstown.  Sheep Hill, its headquarters, is located on Route 7, approximately a mile south of the Williamstown rotary. www.wrlf.org.

 

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