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Action Alert – Restore Environmental Funding!
From Mass AudubonAs we reported last week, the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways & Means has released its Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal.  Although funding is more or less holding steady from last year, environmental support is still down significantly from just a few years ago.Clean air, water, parks, and endangered species need you! Contact your state representative by Friday and let him or her know that you care by asking for their support of the following amendments to increase funding to these vital environmental programs!

 

Read our letter for full information and talking points on environmental amendments.

 

Amendment #737
Amendments sustaining the Community Preservation Act (CPA) – Reps. Stephen Kulik (D- Worthington) and Bradley Jones (R- North Reading).  The amendment contains the full text of a Mass Audubon legislative priority, An Act to Sustain Community Preservation (HB 765), with one exception.  The funding mechanism proposed in the amendment is an annual transfer of $25 million from the state’s end-of-year budget surplus into the CPA Statewide Trust Fund, rather than an increase in the registry of deeds recording fees. The $25 million from the state’s budget surplus would be added each year to the revenue from the existing CPA deeds recording fees, beginning with the Fall 2013 CPA Trust Fund payment.  At time of writing, over 70 House members have cosponsored the amendment.

 

Amendment #25
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species (NHES) Program Waiver to Fund – Rep. William Straus (D- Mattapoisett). The NHES Fund houses many of the revenue sources that support the NHES Program – fees from Massachusetts Endangered Species Act project reviews, donations made via the state income tax form check off, and grants.  In 2006, the NHES Fund was authorized with a “permanent” waiver from indirect cost rate charges assessed by the comptroller.  Although the legislature passed a law granting a “permanent waiver”, the waiver has to be requested by the Department of Fish & Game and granted, or not granted, by the Executive Office of Administration & Finance on an annual basis.

 

Amendment #194
Parks and Recreation – Rep. Bruce Ayers (D- Quincy). The House Committee on Ways and Means proposal for Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Parks is $40.6 million.  The amendment would increase DCR’s budget to $42.2 million. DCR manages nearly 500,000 acres of protected land, including state parks, urban parks, and public watersheds that attract over 35 million visitors annually. The Commonwealth hosts the ninth largest park service in America. Over the past decade, visitor services and routine maintenance of the forests and parks have greatly suffered.  The annual operating budget for the combined divisions of DCR has been reduced by over 30% in recent years!

Amendment #518
DCR Retained Revenue – Rep. Angelo Scaccia (D- Boston).  Mass Audubon is an appointed member of the DCR Stewardship Council.  Over the last few years, we have watched one of the best park and recreation agencies in our country struggle with ever more drastic budget cuts.  Despite the dramatic increases in park use and the growing demand for public recreation facilities, the agency has seen its budget reduced by over 30% in four years to a figure which is approximately 45% lower than the number suggested by this Stewardship Council six years ago as necessary for the DCR to operate effectively.  The Stewardship Council is a strong proponent of the amendment to allow DCR to collect and retain revenue from its operations.

 

Amendment #542
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) compliance and fee retained revenue – Rep. Frank Smizik (D- Brookline).  This amendment dedicates revenue to DEP permitting and compliance functions.  The proposed fee increase of $2.5 million, in combination with the proposed funding allocation, should ensure that DEP maintains the minimum level of staffing necessary to process timely permits and conduct essential enforcement activities.

 

Amendment #678
DEP main line-item – Rep. Anne Gobi (D- Spencer).  This amendment restores the DEP main account to levels suggested by the Governor, from $24.9M to $25.1M.   In conjunction with amendment #700 (below), which allows for a raising and retaining of permit and compliance fees, this funding will go a long way towards supporting this important environmental agency which has seen drastic cuts over the past few years while its responsibilities have increased.

 

Amendment # 687
Division of Ecological Restoration/Riverways – Rep. Cleon Turner (D- Dennis). The House budget writing committee proposal is down to $394,000 for the outstanding, award-winning Riverways program – cut by nearly 50% in just the past few years. This amendment would increase Riverways budget to $480,000. The Riverways Program, now part of the newly created Division of Ecological Restoration, works side-by-side with local citizens, municipal officials, watershed groups, and other partners to restore and protect the commonwealth’s rivers, coastal resources and their ecosystems.

 

Amendment #700
DEP wetlands retained revenue line-item – Rep. Anne Gobi (D- Spencer). The House Committee on Ways and Means proposal for the DEP wetlands permits retained revenue account is $261,000 while the Governor proposed $650,000. The amendment would increase DEP’s ability to retain wetlands permit fees of $400,000. DEP’s Wetlands Program works to protect Massachusetts’ inland and coastal wetlands, tidelands, great ponds, rivers and floodplains.
PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! The House debates the budget next week, starting April 23rd.

 

If you know your representative’s name, you can just call the House switchboard and be put through: 617-722-2000. If not, locate the name and contact information of your state representative by visiting:
http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php (Note: look for “Rep. In General Court”); or http://www.malegislature.gov/People/House

 

SAMPLE MESSAGE

  • Give your name and city or town.
  • Ask to speak to the Representative. If he or she is not available, ask to speak to a staff member. You can also send an email.
  • Encourage them to sign on as cosponsors to the above House budget amendments and to talk to Committee on House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey.

Tell them you support these amendments and would like to see them accepted into the final House Budget. These amendments would restore vital funding to some of Massachusetts’ most valuable environmental services.

 

THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION!

 

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Protecting Clean Air for People and Wildlife

For over forty years, the Clean Air Act has been one of our nation’s most effective and beneficial public health and environmental laws. Passed in Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support more than 3 decades ago, the law has allowed us to hold polluters accountable and successfully protect the health of millions of Americans as well as wildlife and their habitats. But there is still much to do. Uncontrolled carbon pollution that causes climate change, toxic mercury emissions, and numerous other air toxins still pose a serious threat to people and wildlife

In December, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new standards to reduce mercury,arsenic, dioxin, and other toxic emissions from power plants. This proposal is the most significant new action taken in several decades to limit the air pollution that causes devastating health impacts for both people and wildlife.

But powerful members of Congress, under the influence of polluters, are seeking to prevent EPA from addressing the public health and environmental impacts of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. These Congressional proposals would let polluters off the hook, obstruct the EPA from saving lives, and further delay action to move the U.S. towards a cleaner energy future.

Together, we can fight back against efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act, but we need your help to protect communities and wildlife. Please join the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, and the National Wildlife Federation for a presentation on how you can help, Wednesday, April 25th from noon to 1 pm at Berkshire Community College (Hawthorne Room 219) 1350 West Street, Pittsfield, MA.

For more information about the presentation contact BEAT: jane@thebeatnews.org  413-230-7321.
For more information about protecting clean air for people and wildlife visit National Wildlife Federation’s Clean Air webpage.

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Panel Presentation: Corporations are not People; Money is not Speech.

 

Thursday, May 10, 2012 – 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Barrington Stage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA
In politics, the biggest spenders are usually the winners. On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government.

 

On Thursday, May 10th, come to Barrington Stage in Pittsfield to hear the case for a Constitutional Amendment to declare Corporations are not People; Money is not Speech. Speakers will be John Bonifaz, Free Speech for People; Pam Wilmot, Common Cause Massachusetts; and Mark Hays, Public Citizen, Campaign Coordinator, Democracy is for People Campaign. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

 

The Citizens United decision overturned key federal campaign finance reform. Spending in the 2010 election cycle came in at a record-breaking $4 billion, and in 2012 there’s nowhere to go but up—which means that legislators will be spending more time fundraising, less time connecting with the people they represent, and be increasingly beholden to whichever deep-pocketed corporations back their campaigns. Further, by equating corporations with people with political speech rights, the Citizens United ruling marks the most extreme extension yet of a corporate rights doctrine which has eroded our First Amendment and our Constitution for the past 30 years.

We need to end candidates’ addictions to corporate donations and restore power to the. Whether left, right, or moderate, voters understand that more money in politics doesn’t get us better democracy—it will only ensure that legislators’ concerns mirror those of their biggest funders, while issues that matter to we, the people, will be ignored.

 

Co-sponsored by: Representative Tricia Farely-Bouvier, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Common Cause Massachusetts, Corporate Accountability International, Free Speech for People, Coffee Party, Massachusetts Nurses Association, MassPIRG, MassVote, and Public Citizen.


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Houstonic River Movie, Book Signing and Art Show – 5/5

 

An informational, educational and visual evening on the health and environmental effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are pervasive in the Housatonic River, and in many other locations in the watershed – will be held at the Cornwall Library in Cornwall, Connecticut, on May 5, 2012 from 6:30 – 9:00 PM. It is being sponsored by the Housatonic Environmental Action League (HEAL), Housatonic River Initiative (HRI), and Tim Gray, Waterkeeper Alliance’s licensed Housatonic Riverkeeper for Massachusetts and Connecticut.

 

The evening begins at 6:30 PM with very special guest author Alex Prud’homme signing his new book “The Ripple Effect – The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-First Century.”

 

Alex says: “Water is a timely issue, however nowhere near enough people are paying attention. Older chemicals such as benzene and PCBs are referred to as legacy pollutants: compounds that were first manufactured years ago, often at a time when their malign effects were not well understood and regulation was an afterthought. Many legacy pollutants are chemically stable, meaning they don’t break down in the environment quickly. The longer such toxins remain in the environment, the more likely they are to cause health problems.”

 

In the coming weeks, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will issue its recommended plan for whatever PCB removal actions in “Rest of River” (ROR) they deem necessary for the protection of human and ecological health. Under the existing Consent Decree agreement between EPA, Massachusetts, Connecticut and General Electric, ROR is the section of the Housatonic River from two miles south of the defunct General Electric plant in Pittsfield, MA to Connecticut’s Derby Dam in Shelton/Derby.

 

At 7:00 PM, there is a rare showing of Mickey Friedman/Blue Hill Films compelling and thought-provoking documentary: “Good Things To Life: GE, PCBs and Our Town”.

 

“With 20 years of work by the environmental community to get the EPA ready to require a cleanup of PCBs, it’s time we make the move to reclaim this river to the best of our ability from the years of neglect as the result of General Electric’s pollution and stalling tactics,” said Tim Gray, Housatonic Riverkeeper MA/CT.

 

Throughout the evening, there will be a Housatonic River art exhibit featuring the works of the local and celebrated artists Erica Prud’homme, Alexander Shundi and Lynn Fowler.

 

In addition to The Cornwall Library, co-sponsors of this event include key engaged environmental and conservation stakeholders groups from the tri-state Housatonic watershed who are working towards a fishable, swimmable, breathable and livable river system: Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council (BLEC), Citizens For PCB Removal (CPR), Housatonic River Commission (HRC), Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) and the Northwest Conservation District (NCD).

 

The Cornwall Library is located on Pine Street, which is off of Route 4 in Cornwall. Seating is limited, so come early to insure a seat for the movie. Doors open at 6:30 PM.. Free and open to the public. Donations appreciated. For information, contact Lynn Fowler at 860-824-8073.

 

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At Least 46 Oil Spills Have Occurred In The U.S. Since the BP Disaster.

from EcoWatch

As 5 million barrels of oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, nonstop media coverage drew national attention to the safety and environmental risks posed by deep-water oil drilling. But once the well was capped, the media quickly moved on, Congressional safety reform measures floundered, and the lessons of the largest oil spill in history were largely forgotten, even as gulf drilling surges. Since then, public outrage has subsided, but the risk of oil spills has not. In the two years since the BP disaster, at least 46 oil spills have occurred across the U.S., according to NOAA data compiled by Blue Planet Water Solutions. In the absence of any meaningful action by Congress, oil spills will continue to threaten ecosystems and disrupt the tourism and seafood industries. Nevertheless, the mainstream media has neglected to report on these ongoing risks. Meanwhile, the conservative media have advocated for expanded drilling while dismissing the destructive impact of the BP disaster.

 

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Helping Farmers Find Food Funding

from Conservation Law Foundation

 

More small-scale farms, in more local communities, growing a greater diversity of food in sustainable and humane ways, are key ingredients in a recipe for a healthy, thriving New England for generations to come.

Increasingly, Vermont farmers are turning to friends and neighbors in the communities where they live to raise smaller amounts of capital in unconventional ways.  That’s why I was so excited to participate in a collaboration with farmers, attorneys, accountants, and investment professionals that is aimed at helping publicize and demystify the various community-financing tools that farmers can utilize as they seek to start up and/or grow their farms.

 

The  University of Vermont’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which recently published the “Guide to Financing the Community-Supported Farm: Ways for Farms to Acquire Capital Within Communities” (pdf). Among the many community financing tools discussed in the guide are:

  • owner-financed sales and land contracts (chapter authored by yours truly)
  • cohousing and cooperative land ownership
  • equity financing
  • extended Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares
  • revenue-based financing
  • vendor financing
  • pre-buys

 

Though written by Vermonters for a primarily Vermont audience, much of the analysis and many of the case studies in the Guide will be useful to farmers and community food financiers all across New England. Check it out!

 

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Northeast States Reduce CO2 20% Faster and Grow GDP at Twice as Fast as Other StatesNew report by Environment New Jersey on “How Northeastern States are Cutting Global Warming Pollution and Building a Clean Economy” concludes that the RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – pronounced Reggie) states have “cut per capita carbon dioxide emissions 20% faster than the rest of the nation – even as the region’s gross product per capita grew 87% faster than the rest of the United States”. (Interesting that New Jersey was the state that dropped out of the RGGI compact.BEAT and our staff have been working hard to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as well. We have cut oil use by about 41% and electric use by about 47% (2011 vs 2005 levels). We have a plan to be energy independent.

 

From the report:

 

  • Emission reduction goals: The New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan, adopted in 2001, set the first regional emission reduction target in the United States and was the first international, multi- jurisdictional agreement reached anywhere in the world. Outside New England, New Jersey and Maryland adopted enforceable caps on global warming pollution within their states, joining Massachusetts and Connecticut in doing so.

 

  • Cleaning up power plants: Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to set mandatory limits on global warming pollution from power plants, in 2001, eventually leading to creation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first global warming cap-and-trade program. RGGI’s innovative auction of carbon dioxide emission allowances was the largest in the world when it began in 2008 and has funded clean energy programs that will curb global warming pollution.

 

  • Cleaning up cars: New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine were the first northeastern states to adopt the Clean Cars Program, which sets vehicle tailpipe emission limits for carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Eight of the 10 northeastern states eventually adopted the program, pushing the federal government to follow suit in 2009. In 2011, the Obama administration adopted even stronger standards that will deliver additional savings at the gas pump and reductions in global warming pollution.

 

  • Improving energy efficiency: Six of the top 10 states for energy efficiency are in the Northeast, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Northeastern states have set ambitious energy efficiency goals, created innovative energy efficiency “utilities,” helped drive the federal government to adopt new energy efficiency standards for appliances, and are among the leaders in implementation of strong building energy codes.

 

  • Expanding renewable energy: Every northeastern state other than Vermont has adopted a renewable electricity standard designed to increase production of wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy. In 2000, the Northeast had only 25 megawatts (MW) of wind energy capacity; by 2010 it had 1,671 MW. The region also had 397 MW of solar energy capacity by the end of 2010, of which 70 percent was installed in either 2009 or 2010. The region’s efforts have paid off in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from energy use, even as the region’s per capita GDP has grown faster than the nation as a whole.

 

  • A 2011 study by the Analysis Group found that the RGGI program raised economic output by $1.6 billion in the participating states.

 

  • The 10 northeastern states participating in RGGI emitted 161 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from electricity use in 2009—15 percent less than in 2000 and 9 percent less than in 1990.

 

  • These emission reductions put the northeastern states on track to meet their emission reduction goals. The six New England states, for example, committed to reducing their global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, in concert with eastern Canadian provinces. By 2009, New England’s carbon dioxide emissions were 7 percent below 1990 levels.

 

  • On a per capita basis, the 10 northeastern states cut emissions 20 percent faster than the rest of the nation between 2000 and 2009, even as the region’s gross product per capita grew 87 percent faster than the rest of the United States.

 

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Final Clean Air Permit Issued for Pioneer Valley Facility in Westfield, Mass.(Boston, Mass. – April 12, 2012) – EPA has issued a final Clean Air Act permit to the Pioneer Valley Energy Center for the construction and operation of a new 431 MW/hr combined cycle gas turbine in Westfield, Mass.  The permit is designed to prevent the significant deterioration of air quality resulting from the plant’s operation.The federal Clean Air Act requires new major sources of air pollutants in areas which currently meet air quality standards to obtain a “Prevention of Significant Deterioration” (PSD) air permit prior to construction.  There are three main components of a PSD permit:

  • The new source must install best available control technology to reduce all air pollutants which it will emit in significant amounts;
  • The new source must demonstrate, using air dispersion modeling, its emissions will not cause or contribute to a violation of any national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), which are designed to protect public health and the environment; and
  • The facility may not cause the existing air quality in the area to deteriorate beyond specific levels that the Clean Air Act allows to protect air that is already cleaner than the NAAQS.

 

The permit for Pioneer Valley meets all three criteria.  Pioneer Valley will install post combustion controls to minimize emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.  In addition, the facility will use natural gas and ultra low sulfur diesel fuel to minimize emissions of fine particulate matter and sulfuric acid mist.  Pioneer Valley is also minimizing greenhouse gas emissions through the application of energy efficient equipment.

 

EPA carefully reviewed Pioneer Valley’s air dispersion modeling analysis and has determined the allowable air emissions from this project are in compliance with the Clean Air Act. The final permit for the Pioneer Valley plant contains several more stringent permit conditions that EPA added after considering public comments.

 

There was a formal public review and comment period on the draft Pioneer Valley PSD permit from Dec. 5, 2011 – Jan. 24, 2012.  EPA also held an informational meeting and a public hearing in Westfield on Jan. 12, 2012.  EPA received 49 written comments and heard testimony from 28 commenters during the public hearing. EPA carefully considered all comments received on the draft air permit during the public comment period, and the final air permit is accompanied by a detailed “Response to Comments” document.  EPA also carefully considered assertions that this power plant would cause a disproportionate burden on historically-disadvantaged Environmental Justice communities in the vicinity of the facility.  EPA’s analysis indicated that emissions would not adversely affect low-income or minority populations and that the impacts of those emissions did not disproportionately affect these communities.

More information:  The final Pioneer Valley PSD permit and other documents (http://www.epa.gov/region1/topics/air/airpermitting.html)

 

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DEA National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day: April 28, 2012  from Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with support from EPA, is sponsoring the National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day on April 28, 2012. DEA looks to build upon the success of its first three events which collected a total of 498 tons of household medications nationwide. These nationwide events provide a unified opportunity for the public to turn in expired, unwanted or unused prescription drugs and other medications to law enforcement officers for safe disposal. DEA’s efforts bring national focus to the issue of pharmaceutical substance abuse, while providing a secure and environmentally-friendly outlet for disposal that will protect our water resources.To find out more about this event and other information on how to properly dispose prescription medication, visit:  http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/ppcp/index.cfm 

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