The BEAT News, August 7, 2012

News Headlines

Housatonic River Walk Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Riverside Celebration: Greenagers to Become Official Stewards of the Trail

The Great Barrington Housatonic River Walk—Berkshire County’s National Recreation Trail—will celebrate its 25th anniversary on September 8, and formalize its partnership with Greenagers, the local organization that actively fosters the ethics of service and stewardship in area youth.

The riverside festival begins at 10 AM, at the Du Bois River Garden park at Church and River Streets. Hundreds of volunteers and well-wishers are expected to line the half-mile trail and pass the baton to River Walk’s next generation of stewards. New kiosk panels by the Main Street entrance will fully reflect River Walk’s past 25 years of trailmaking, cleanup and ecological activities. New interpretive stations in the Du Bois River Garden park will tell the story of W.E.B. Du Bois’s environmental advocacy and his special regard for the Housatonic River. The new signage is funded by a generous grant from Housatonic Heritage.

River Walk, which has been a model of community involvement, will take that commitment to a whole new level through its partnership with Greenagers while ensuring that the trail receives the care and stewardship that will sustain it for many years to come. With River Walk as their laboratory, the teens will learn landscaping and trail building skills in a direct and real-world way.  They will gain experience in managing trail improvements, riverbank reclamation and educational outreach.

River Walk’s founding director Rachel Fletcher says, “Placing this treasured community resource in the hands of our local young people is what River Walk is all about. This is an empowering gift to give teens at this moment in our nation’s history.”

Greenagers director Will Conklin says, “As River Walk and Greenagers grow together, our young people learn about our cultural heritage and best practices in horticulture, water quality and trail development.  At the same time, River Walk benefits from the Greenagers’ energy, creativity, and vision.”

To help train this next generation of trail stewards, manage the trail, and lead River Walk into the future, project directors hope to raise $100,000. Each donation of $250 or more will be matched by an anonymous donor. To reach this goal, Main Street, Railroad Street, Stockbridge Road and Berkshire businesses have contributed more than 50 goods and services to a commemorative “Our Town” raffle. Tickets are $5. Four prizes valuing $1200+ each and a bonus prize will be drawn on September 8.

River Walk’s 25th anniversary year is supported by grants from Housatonic Heritage, The Roy Foundation, Town of Great Barrington, Katherine L. W. and Winthrop M. Crane III Charitable Trust, the Berkshire Environmental Endowment of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, The Turkeybush Foundation and The Berkshire Garden Club. Major business sponsors include Triplex+ Cinema, The Snap Shop, Wheeler & Taylor Insurance, and Doherty Enterprises, with additional support from Berkshire Corporation, Berkshire Bank, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Cain Hibbard & Myers, and Windy Hill Farm.

River Walk is a greenway trail along the Housatonic River in the downtown center of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where citizen volunteers are working to reclaim the beauty of a “working river” abused by years of industrial waste and neglect. The National Recreation Trail enters between Rite Aid and Pink Cloud on Main Street.  An additional section follows the river adjacent to the former Searles Middle School and the Berkshire Corporation parking lot.  River Walk easements are granted in appreciation of volunteer clean-up activities, including the removal of 400 tons of rubble and debris from various sites. To date, 2400 volunteers have worked to restore the riverbank to its native ecology and to produce ½ mile of public trail.  River Walk easements are managed by the Great Barrington Land Conservancy.

The event is free. Refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.gbriverwalk.org or contact Rachel Fletcher at 528-3391, or e-mail river@gbriverwalk.org.  For information about Greenagers visit www.greenagers.org or call Will Conklin 413-644-9090.

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Fire engulfs N.Y. recycling plant – No Testing Necessary?

A fire engulfed TCI, a transformer recycling company in West Ghent, NY in the Hudson Valley on Thursday, August 2, spewing noxious fumes. TCI disposes of electrical equipment containing poly-chlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.  Officials issued an advisory to residents within a 15-mile radius of that town to remain indoors with windows closed and air conditioning units off until air quality improved.

Residents of Southern Berkshire County were included in a local advisory to limit their outdoor activities, close their windows and refrain from using air conditioning because of the threat of noxious fumes. The towns of Alford, Egremont, Great Barrington, Otis, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge.

The Berkshire Grassroots listserv, hosted by the Orion Society, has had a great conversation about this issue.

Because of concerns about the fallout from this fire, residents are talking about a presentation by Tom Vanacore, who will be giving a two hour soil toxicity and remediation lecture at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Summer Conference 2012 August 10-12th.

Sam Pratt, who lead a winning fight to stop the Saint Lawrence Cement Plant expansion many years ago (thank you Sam!), has a great blog that includes a lot of information about this fire and possible after effect. Here is a brief start to one of Sam’s informative blogs titled, “State cancels further testing for TCI fire”:

“In what looks like a stunning reversal of previous promises, officials have decided not to test for dioxins—or any other pollutants—which may have resulted from last week’s towering inferno at TCI of NY in Ghent. Instead, the State indicates it will conduct no further tests other than its initial search for PCBs.” <read more>

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PEST ALERT: Emerald Ash Borer in Connecticut

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) have announced that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), an invasive wood-boring pest that attacks ash trees, was detected in Prospect, CT on July 16, 2012. This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut. Another probable infestation in nearby Naugatuck, CT is still awaiting confirmation.

The emerald ash borer (“EAB”) is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees, from the mid-west to New York State and south to Tennessee. The Connecticut discovery was made as part of a program that monitors a ground-nesting, native and non-stinging wasp (Cerceris fumipennis) that hunts beetles in the Buprestidae family, including the emerald ash borer. Subsequent checks of EAB traps in the area revealed more finds.

While this is the second EAB find in states bordering Massachusetts (the other known infestation being in Saugerties, NY), EAB has not been found in our state. Stage and federal agencies continue to employ the same tools that CT and other states have used to provide prompt detection, namely: trapping surveys (with purple traps known as “Barney” traps) and the Massachusetts Wasp Watchers citizen scientist Cerceris monitoring program.

It is unknown how EAB entered Prospect or Naugatuck, but the movement of infested firewood has been previously linked to the spread of this invasive pest into other states. This is an excellent opportunity to remind everyone to avoid moving firewood long distances, and to find local and trusted suppliers or purchase kiln-dried wood that is certified to have been treated to destroy insects and pathogens.

Helpful links:

Mass. Wasp Watchers Project: http://massnrc.org/pests/blog/2012/06/wasp-watchers-wanted-2.html

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Mass Audubon’s End-of-Session Beacon Hill Report

The legislative session ended just after midnight on Tuesday, July 31st.  As usual, the marble halls in front of the House and Senate Chambers were packed with lobbyists of all stripes.  Mass Audubon was there pushing back on the repeal of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and advocating for legislation that would protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems through reducing fertilizer use, along with legislation that would make it easier to remove obsolete dams and restore river habitat.  Here’s the run-down.

The Massachusetts Endangered Species Act stands!  Thank you to all of the organizations and individuals who stepped up to protect endangered species!  Not only did the bill not pass, House leadership turned course and supported a compromise bill that we support.  The bill did not pass, but it did take a step forward and move out of the House Committee on Ways and Means. This is a signal that the Beacon Hill lawmakers anticipate taking up the issue again in the next legislative session, which begins in January.  It also is a signal that the legislature has heard loud and clear from you.  This is a real change in direction, and wouldn’t have happened without the tremendous response from constituents.  Thank you!

The Valley Advocate ran a great piece on the back-story.  Read it here.

Here’s the compromise language.  Over the rest of the summer and next fall, we’ll be talking to legislators and stake-holders and gearing up for the 188th session of the Massachusetts Great and General Court.  We’re not done yet.  Please take a moment to let your legislators know that you’re glad the anti-endangered species bill didn’t move!

Find out who your legislator is and how to contact them here: www.malegislature.gov/People/FindMyLegislator

 

The Green Communities Act strengthened!  From our friends at ELM: “a big victory was the passage – just prior to the end of the session – of legislation that strengthens the Green Communities Act passed in 2008. Given that six months ago the bill was under attack by some leading members of the business community, the end result is very gratifying. Notable elements in the new bill are key provisions for: increasing long-term contracting for renewable energy by utilities (which will facilitate financing for renewable energy and lower costs); increasing the net-metering cap (allowing commercial and residential users that generate excess energy from renewable sources to sell it back to the grid).”

Also of note, the final legislation contains a provision adding the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network to the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council.  There are thousands of nonprofits in Massachusetts, and many are based out of older, inefficient buildings.  At Mass Audubon, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 45% over the past few years, and hope that by having a nonprofit voice on the Council other nonprofits will be better able to reduce their carbon footprints too.  And we were very pleased that we were able to defeat amendments which would have watered down the environmental criteria for hydropower eligibility for renewable energy credits.
The bottle bill stalls out AGAIN!  Despite tremendous efforts from environmental advocates, and especially MassPIRG and Sierra Club, the bottle bill did not pass.  The Updated Bottle Bill has been stuck in the Legislature for the past 14 years. Every year the Bottle Bill gets held up, another 1 billion bottles — enough to fill Fenway Park to the Monster seats — get buried and burned instead of recycled.  Despite broad public and legislative support, this bill keeps getting buried by legislative leadership.  We’ll be back next year!  For more on what happened, visit the Sierra Club’s bottle bill site.

 

The Community Preservation Act is funded and sustained!  As we reported earlier this month, after six years of advocacy on this Mass Audubon legislative priority, the legislature passed and the Governor signed amendments to the Community Preservation Act which update and further fund this very successful community based land protection, affordable housing, historic rehabilitation, and recreational program.   For more, visit our Coalition website.

 

No Dam Bill, for now… Despite a strong push lead by The Nature Conservancy and the American Council of Engineering Companies the dam bill didn’t make it over the finish line.  The sticking point was whether or not funds could be used to repair seawalls.  There’s a fair chance that this bill could still pass during the legislature’s informal session this summer or fall, so stay tuned.  It would provide funds for removal and repair of hazardous dams and aquatic habitat restoration.  Also, the fertilizer reduction bill, which made it through the Senate but did come to vote in the House, may also move during informal sessions.

 

Overall, it was a good year.  The environmental budget began to rebound, albeit slowly.  The endangered species act stands and our long-term priority, the Community Preservation Act bill, passed.  Mass Audubon priorities of Zoning Reform and Old Growth Forest Reserve legislation did not move this session, but, with your help, we’ll be back at it next year.

Thank you for your advocacy and have a great rest of summer!

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Massachusetts Takes Action To Boost Clean Energy Revolution

from Conservation Law Foundation

Not a moment too soon, the Massachusetts Legislature has enacted important new clean energy legislation that will maintain the state’s momentum in advancing clean renewable energy solutions like wind and solar energy. We breathed a sigh of relief as the final favorable votes were taken on July 31 – the very last day of the Legislature’s formal 2-year session – sending to Governor Patrick’s desk An Act Relative to Competitively Priced Electricity. The legislation includes key provisions that are essential for ensuring Massachusetts reaches its renewable energy targets. And this highly welcome development comes in the nick of time, just as existing programs are hitting their limits.  This means we can avoid a sokaslar slowdown and keep the wind blowing behind the state’s clean energy revolution.

CLF celebrates the new Massachusetts energy bill together with the Green Communities Act Coalition (GCA Coalition) – a diverse coalition of business, labor, environmental, clean energy, low-income and other stakeholders who advocate for strong clean energy policies in Massachusetts. The GCA Coalition, which is co-led by CLF and the New England Clean Energy Council, came together in Fall 2011 in the face of attacks by clean energy skeptics who wrongly suggested that Massachusetts cannot afford clean energy. Since then, the GCA Coalition has worked together to bring forward facts demonstrating that clean energy is one of the most promising areas of economic growth, and that it is delivering considerable economic benefits. (See here for a helpful myth v. fact sheet.)

The new energy legislation, which some have dubbed “Green Communities Act – Part II”, builds on the tremendous success of the 2008 Green Communities Act, which is delivering hundreds of millions of dollars of net economic benefits while dramatically boosting the deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The new Energy Bill will ensure continued growth of the state’s renewable energy programs with an even greater focus on affordability. This is a win for the environment, public health, jobs and the economy.

So, what exactly will the new Massachusetts Energy Bill do?

Central to the Energy Bill are provisions that will extend two critically important renewable energy programs: long-term renewable energy contracts and “net-metering”:

  • The Energy Bill requires electric utilities to work together to sign additional long-term (10-20 year) contracts for the purchase of renewable energy to meet 4% of total customer demand.

» This is in addition to the long-term renewable energy contracts the utilities already have signed under the existing 2008 Green Communities Act (which established a 3% minimum) — bringing the total amount of renewable energy long-term contracts to at least 7% of the electricity that is consumed in Massachusetts.

» Contrary to some confusing media reports, this requirement does not change the overall amount of new renewable energy that electric utilities must purchase each year (currently at 7% of all electricity consumed, and increasing by 1% per year). Instead, it only increases the extent to which utilities buy that energy using long-term contracts instead of spot-market purchases or alternative compliance payments.

» Long-term contracts are a win for renewable energy projects and customers alike.  Such contracts have become essential for getting new renewable energy projects built because the developers can show lenders that they will be able to re-pay their loans. This translates into lower financing costs, and those savings are passed on to electric customers.

» The Energy Bill generally requires utilities to jointly solicit and enter long-term renewable energy contracts, and competitive bidding will be required. Based on prior experience in Massachusetts, land-based wind energy projects are likely to be particularly successful in securing long-term contracts under the new law. In addition, the mechanism for joint solicitation should provide opportunities for larger projects to compete to sell their power to all Massachusetts customers.

» This expanded renewable energy long-term contracting program is likely to be an important complement to the agreement reached on July 30 by the New England Governors to work together to implement a regional renewable energy purchasing commitment.  Massachusetts already is ahead of the curve and well situated to help lead the region to success!

  • The Energy Bill also will significantly expand existing renewable energy “net metering” programs, providing an important boost to smaller scale clean energy projects throughout Massachusetts:

»  “Net-metering” makes small-scale renewable energy installations more affordable by ensuring that homeowners and small businesses will be compensated fairly – at retail rates – for excess power that they deliver into the electric grid.

»  The Energy bill doubles the existing net-metering program limits, up to 6% of total electricity consumed in Massachusetts (3% from publicly owned facilities, 3% from privately owned).

»  The bill also allows anaerobic digestors – projects that convert organic waste to energy – to qualify for the program for the first time, together with small wind and solar projects.

These provisions are hallmarks of a critically important clean energy bill that will maintain clean energy momentum as we enter the summer doldrums.

The Energy Bill also is noteworthy for what it does not include:  e.g., significant clean energy program rollbacks that were championed by skeptics, and provisions that risked locking in new fossil fuel fired generation.  Whew!

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Massachusetts Runoff, Erosion and Sediment Control Field Guide 

Sediment washing into rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands is one of the biggest water quality problems in Massachusetts. Best Management Practices and their applications can be used to control runoff, erosion and prevent sedimentation at construction sites. Implementing the right control practices saves money and time, protects natural resources and may be required to comply with local, state and federal laws.

MACC (Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions) convened experts and wrote and published the northeast’s first Runoff, Erosion and Sediment Control Field Guide, a 65 page, waterproof pocket guide for those involved in planning, executing and monitoring construction projects – your MUST HAVE resource!

Visit ESC FIELD GUIDE to learn more and to order copies. The Field Guide will be shipped in late August.

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New employment opportunities at Co-op Power

Co-op Power is Growing!

Co-op Power is hiring three Energy Coaches and one Fundraising and Membership Development Consultant.

Energy Coaches identify customers interested in energy efficiency, manage their data and sign them up for products and services that support our energy efficiency mission. All energy coaches will spend about 80% of their time in our Hatfield office, and spend 20% of their time doing outreach in their geographical area of focus. We are looking for one full time Energy Coach for Hampshire County, one part-time for Franklin County, and one part-time for Hamden County.

The Fundraising and Membership Development Consultant will be a temporary position in Vermont (10 hours/week for the Fall). This person will help with the development work needed for the Southern VT Community Solar project.

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Newly Promulgated Regulations – Lowers Allowable Sulfur Content

MassDEP

Name & Citation of Regulation(s): 310 CMR 7.05: Fuels All Districts

Brief Explanation and Rationale for Changes: These amendments lower the allowable sulfur content of distillate oil and residual oil combusted at stationary sources to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and the formation of fine particle pollution. These amendments will reduce regional haze and protect public health, and increase existing heating equipment efficiency, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Web Link to View Final Regulations: http://www.mass.gov/dep/air/laws/regulati.htm#705

Date of Promulgation: 8/3/2012

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