The BEAT News July 25, 2012

News Headlines

Pittsfield airport officials to hear from residents

Construction continues on South Mountain Road, seen recently from Barker Road. (Caroline Bonnivier Snyder / Berkshire Eagle Staff)

As the Pittsfield Municipal Airport’s expansion nears completion, city residents will get to weigh in on the progress of the $22.5 million project this week. Airport officials will hold an informational meeting Thursday primarily to hear feedback from citizens, especially those living near the air field.

The gathering is set for 7 p.m. at Crosby Elementary School on West Street.<MORE>

BEAT Note: We would like a report on how the wetland replacement areas are doing. Also how the mitigation project of removing the dam on Sackett Brook is progressing and exactly who is paying for that. And finally, what percentage of this project was really paid for with federal money?

Return to list of headlines.

40-Member Coalition Including BEAT Launch Campaign to Phase Out Coal

July 11th marked the formal launch of the Coal Free Massachusetts campaign to phase out coal, protect public health, and transition to 21st century clean energy.

Three coal plants continue to operate in Massachusetts: Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset; Salem Harbor Station in Salem; and Mount Tom Generation Station in Holyoke. Salem Harbor is currently preparing to cease operations – with two of its coal-burning units closed at the end of 2011, and a full shutdown scheduled for June 2014.

Every minute that these plants operate, they put out pollution that harms everyone who breathes the emissions-ridden air. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory disease are particularly vulnerable. The coal is 100% imported, from West Virginia and Latin America, sending our money outbound and exporting harm. The purchase of coal funds environmental degradation across our state, nation, and world. Smog from the coal plants contributes to public health crises in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

BEAT is a member of this coalition. We hope you will want to find out more about the Coal Free Massachusetts Coalition and how you can join!

The Low Down on Dirty Coal in MA:

*    Massachusetts’ coal burning facilities – Salem Harbor Station, Mount Tom (Holyoke), and Brayton Point Station (Somerset) – are the largest air polluters in the Commonwealth.

*    Massachusetts ranks 20th in mortality linked to coal plants. A 2010 Clean Air Task Force report showed that pollution from coal-fired power plants causes 251 deaths, 211 hospital admissions, and 471 heart attacks in Massachusetts every year.

*    In 2011, coal only provided 8% of the total energy in New England but still emitted more than 8 million tons of CO2 in Massachusetts alone.

*    MA spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually – $252 million in 2008 alone – importing coal from other states and countries, and supporting environmental degradation such as mountaintop removal.

Return to list of headlines.

Presentations by EPA about Silver Lake and other Contaminated or Cleaned PCB Sites

 

The next Housatonic Citizens Coordinating Council (CCC) meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

 

The meeting will be held at:

The Lenox Library

Sedgwick Reading Room

18 Main Street
Lenox, MA 01240

 

The meeting will likely focus on updates about the remediation of the Pittsfield portion of the river, although if there are updates about the Rest of River remediation at that time, those will be discussed also.

[BEAT Note: the CCC meetings are public meetings, everyone is welcome. These meetings include presentations by the US Environmental Protection Agency. General Electric and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also attend, and usually the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. BEAT is one of the “members” of the CCC, as are many other environmental, conservation, and sportsmen organizations; as well as towns, the City of Pittsfield, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and more. All “members” are supposed to report back to their constituents to let them know what is being discussed.]

Return to list of headlines.

Updated Bottle Bill Passed the Senate!

 

July19th the MA Senate approved the Updated Bottle Bill as an amendment to the Jobs Bill.

 

This is huge. The Updated Bottle Bill has been pending for 14 years, and this is the first time we’ve seen it pass through either the Massachusetts House or Senate.

 

The Senate received more than 300 calls into legislators’ offices in favor of the amendment. All those calls generated a lot of buzz, and helped give the momentum needed to pass the bill.

 

In order to become law, the Updated Bottle Bill needs to survive conference committee, and then be signed by the governor … all by end of this month. Our opponents are already issuing their press statements about how the Updated Bottle Bill must be stopped.

 

While our opponents are increasing their lobbying efforts, a few things remain unchanged:

 

  • Each year, enough bottles to fill Fenway Park to the Monster seats end up as litter or trash that we could recycle if we expanded the Bottle Bill to include bottled water, sports drinks, iced teas and other new types of beverages not currently covered.
  • 77% of Massachussetts residents support this common-sense expansion of the Bottle Bill.

Return to list of headlines.

No Discharge Area Designation for Cape Cod and Islands Coastal Waters


Map of Cape and Islands NDA

Map of state’s protected waters

 

Boat waste discharge is now banned in virtually all state coastal waters

 

BOSTON – Friday, July 20, 2012 – Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rick Sullivan today announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the  designation of state waters south of Cape Cod and surrounding Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard as a No Discharge Area (NDA).

 

With the approval of the South Cape Cod and Islands NDA, boats are prohibited from dumping sewage along more than 95 percent of state coastal waters.

 

“With the help of our community leaders and federal partners, the dream of clean coastal waters up and down the Massachusetts coastline is now a reality, protecting our precious marine habitats and recreational areas for years to come,” said Governor Deval Patrick.

 

In March, Secretary Sullivan submitted the South Cape Cod and Islands NDA application through the state’s Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), capping five years of extensive work by CZM and 14 communities to ensure the necessary waste pumpout facilities are available for boaters to use.

 

The 14 communities are: Aquinnah, Chilmark, West Tisbury, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Falmouth, Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham and Nantucket.

 

“Our environment and economies depend on safe and productive coastline,” said Secretary Sullivan. “With this designation, nearly all of our coastal waters are protected from boat pollution, providing clean resources for tourism and recreational activities like swimming and fishing and habitat for marine life.”

 

NDAs protect water quality and aquatic life from pathogens, nutrients and chemical products contained in discharged sewage and also reduce the risk of human illness, making it safer to swim, boat, fish and eat shellfish from protected waters. NDAs can also help reduce the growth of harmful algae that occurs due to high nutrient levels in sewage discharge and protect commercial clam fishing flats.

 

“EPA applauds each and every community and the local and state officials, who have worked for a long time to protect coastal water quality and ensure a cleaner and healthier environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

 

Clean coastal waters are important for Cape Cod and the Islands, with recreation and tourism the cornerstone of these coastal economies. This area includes 143 bathing beaches covering more than 26 miles of shoreline. In addition to roughly 15,000 resident vessels, an estimated 700 to 800 visiting recreational boats regularly travel these waters during the summer.

 

Shellfishing is another important commercial and recreational activity in the area, with bay scallops, soft-shell clams, surf clams, blue mussels, oysters and quahogs harvested in these waters. The value of recreational shellfish harvesting alone is more than $7 million each year in Barnstable County. These and other commercial and recreational pursuits will all benefit from the cleaner waters that will come from designating the area as a no-dumping zone for boat sewage.

 

This designation comes on the heels of the announcement in June of the approval for the Mount Hope Bay NDA, which encompasses nine square miles, including the Taunton River up to the Center/Elm Street Bridge on the border of Dighton and Berkley, as well as the Lee and Cole Rivers up to their respective Route 6 bridges.

 

The South Cape Cod and Islands NDA is home to commercial ferry operations that serve as a lifeline to the Islands and the towns of Nantucket, Chilmark, West Tisbury, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Chilmark, Aquinnah and Edgartown. The ferry operators have been working closely with state and local government and have made substantial progress retrofitting vessels, building shoreside pumpout infrastructure and ensuring adequate capacity and conditions so that boat waste can be processed by municipal wastewater treatment plants.

 

In recognition of this practical reality, this designation includes two temporary exclusions where discharge of treated boat sewage will still be allowed. Any waste released by commercial vessels in these temporary exclusions must be treated by marine sanitation devices. CZM anticipates the designation of these temporary exclusions as no discharge by 2016.

 

There are now 29 boat sewage pumpout facilities in accessible locations throughout the area to make compliance with the no discharge requirements convenient for boaters. Several of the 14 coastal communities have at one time received reimbursement for 75 percent of the cost of purchasing and operating their pumpout facilities via the Commonwealth’s Clean Vessel Act Program, administered by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sportfish Restoration Program.

 

“This is the welcome culmination of years of effort, piece by piece, to protect the Massachusetts coast and coastal waterways,” said Sen. Dan Wolf. “I congratulate everyone involved, especially Secretary Sullivan, for clearing the last obstacles so that this important environmental protection can apply throughout our state.”

 

“The Massachusetts approach to designating NDAs has been to work hand-in-hand with our cities and towns, harbormasters, environmental groups, marinas, and others,” said Bruce Carlise, CZM Director. “I would like to thank everyone who has helped make the NDAs that now cover our coastline a reality. It has been a privilege working with all of these people who are so committed to keeping our coastal waters clean.”

 

Under the Clean Water Act, a body of water can be designated as an NDA if local, state and federal authorities determine it is ecologically and recreationally important enough to merit protection above and beyond that provided by existing state and federal laws. In Massachusetts, CZM works closely with communities and EPA to establish NDAs as part of a comprehensive regional water quality approach.

 

Due to efforts by the Patrick-Murray Administration, there are now NDAs along almost the entire Massachusetts coast. These 16 NDAs have been previously designated:

  • Outer Cape Cod (the coastal waters from Provincetown to Chatham, including Nauset Harbor)
  • Upper North Shore (the coastal waters of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury [including the Merrimack River in Amesbury], West Newbury, Merrimac, Groveland, North Andover, Haverhill, Methuen and Lawrence)
  • Pleasant Bay (Brewster, Orleans, Harwich and Chatham) and Chatham Harbor
  • The coastal waters of Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant and Swampscott, including the Pines and Saugus Rivers
  • All of Cape Cod Bay
  • Boston Harbor (the coastal waters of Winthrop, Chelsea, Everett, Boston, Quincy, Milton, Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham and Hull, including the Charles River in Watertown, Newton and Cambridge)
  • Salem Sound (the coastal waters of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Beverly, Danvers, Salem and Marblehead)
  • The coastal waters of Cohasset, Scituate and Marshfield
  • The coastal waters of Plymouth, Kingston and Duxbury
  • All of Buzzards Bay
  • Waquoit Bay in Falmouth
  • The coastal waters of Harwich
  • Three Bays/Centerville Harbor in Barnstable
  • Stage Harbor in Chatham
  • The coastal waters of Nantucket from Muskeget Island to Great Point, including Nantucket Harbor
  • Mount Hope Bay

For more information on No Discharge Areas in New England, please visit: www.mass.gov/czm/nda and www.epa.gov/region01/eco/nodiscrg. For more on boat sewage pumpout locations throughout Massachusetts coastal waters, see: www.mass.gov/czm/nda/pumpouts.

 

CZM is the agency within EEA charged with protecting Massachusetts’ approximately 1,500-mile coast. Through educational and regulatory programs, CZM seeks to balance human uses of the coastal zone with the need to protect fragile marine resources. The agency’s work includes helping coastal communities anticipate and plan for sea level rise and other effects of climate change, working with cities and towns and the federal government to develop boat sewage no-discharge areas, and partnering with communities and other organizations to restore coastal and aquatic habitats.

Return to list of headlines.

Take Action: Tell EPA to Ban Hazardous Insecticide for Farmworkers, the Environment

from Beyond Pesticides

Thousands of pounds of apples, pears and cherries are still grown with highly toxic, old-era pesticides. That’s because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an astounding history of negotiating multi-year phase-outs with industry, placing economic interests over the protection of the health of the public, especially those who grow and harvest these crops. Despite a 2006 cancellation of the highly toxic azinphos-methyl (AZM), which allowed for a six-year phase out that is scheduled to conclude this September, EPA, under industry pressure, may rescind its final decision and extend the phase-out period.

Tell EPA today to stand by its decision and ban AZM once and for all.

AZM is a highly neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide. Like other organophosphates, AZM attacks the nervous system. AZM poses risks to farmworkers, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. AZM runoff is responsible for killing up to a million fish, along with turtles, alligators, snakes and birds.

In November 2006, EPA agreed and decided that AZM poses unreasonable adverse effects and issued a final decision to cancel AZM, but allowed continued use on some fruit crops for six more years –until 2012. But due to industry pressure, EPA is reviewing new benefit analyses to determine whether to keep in place or extend the cancellation order that becomes effective on September 30, 2012. Industry insists that an AZM ban places undue economic burden on farmers despite real evidence to the contrary.

Tell EPA not to reverse its decision to end AZM use

Return to list of headlines.

Connecticut River Info Websites

How clean is the river? Where is it safe to go swimming? Will I get sick? These are among some of the most frequently asked questions we hear – and rightly so. There are many reasons why the river may not be clean enough for swimming or boating and a spot that was clean last week may not be clean this week.

To mark this 5th year of sampling water along the Connecticut River, the Watershed Council has partnered with Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to bring you a new website that offers guidance about whether the water is clean enough for swimming and boating relative to the weekly bacteria levels, so that you can make informed decisions to prevent potential illness. Generally, bacteria levels are elevated after a storm event due to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and stormwater runoff from urban, suburban, and agricultural areas. Experts recommend staying out of the water for 24 to 48 hours after a storm event due to the likelihood of elevated bacteria levels. Find the most recent bacteria levels at your favorite river access sites at www.ConnecticutRiver.us.

Volunteers monitor the Connecticut River and several tributaries for E. coli bacteria levels at more than 30 locations from southern Massachusetts to southern Vermont. Partner organizations include the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Connecticut River Watershed Council, Millers River Watershed Council, Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance, and Putney Rowing Club. Monitoring takes place on Wednesdays or Thursdays from June through the first week of October.

ConnecticutRiver.us also has information about river access locations, fishing and fish consumption advisories, hiking and biking in the watershed, and general information about the condition of the river.  We encourage you to link to this site from your own website, share it on your social networks, and please share it with all your family and friends.

Return to list of headlines.

The Carrot Project: Agricultural Loans Available

 

The Carrot Project is pleased to announce that our Massachusetts and Greater Berkshire Agriculture loan funds now accept applications on a monthly basis. The application deadline is the 1st business day of each month.

 

Our programs are open to local farm, forestry and fishery businesses, with any type of local agricultural product. In addition, our Greater Berkshire Agricultural Fund also accepts applications from off-farm businesses involved in processing, storage, distribution and sales of local & regional agricultural products. Please check our website for updates as we add new program offerings frequently.

 

For more information, please go to:www.thecarrotproject.org/programs/loan_programs

 

Or contact Benneth Phelps at: bphelps@thecarrotproject.org or 617.674.2371

Return to list of headlines.

Environmental & Climate Justice Intern Program (4 positions) Vacancy Announcement – July 16, 2012

 

Position Location: Baltimore, MD

Travel: Minimal

Reports to: Director, Environmental & Climate Justice Program

Classification: Non-Union

FLSA Status: Exempt

 

Summary:

 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The principal object of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality for all. As part of its mission, the NAACP seeks to enforce federal, state, and local laws securing civil rights and to educate persons about their constitutional rights.

 

The NAACP ECJ Leadership Intern Program is designed to give students and recent graduates the opportunity to work for six months at NAACP Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Students will work on a range of tasks to advance the objectives of the Environmental and Climate Justice Program and to build their own individual professional capacity through increased knowledge and skills. The NAACP ECJ Leadership Intern Program is made possible through the generous support of the Energy Foundation.

 

Summary of Duties:

 

Those selected for the ECJ Leadership Intern program will work in one or several of the following ECJ Projects:

• Coal Blooded Campaign—Organizing communities to address pollution from coal fired power plants;

• Just Energy Campaign-Advancing Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy;

• Upholding Civil and Human Rights in Disasters;

• Youth and College Leadership Initiative on Environmental and Climate Justice; and

• African American Church Leadership Initiative on Environmental and Climate Justice.

 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Conducting outreach to engage key constituencies in environmental and climate justice work including youth and faith leaders, tracking federal, state, and local policies on environmental and climate justice as well as corporate practices

• Documenting and uplifting best practices on environmental and climate justice

• Creating educational materials for member engagement and support

• Increasing the visibility of NAACP member engagement on environmental and climate justice through social media

• Conducting a range of research projects, including racial impact studies, and facilitating member engagement in educating policymakers on environmental issues impacting communities of color and low income communities

 

Qualifications:

ECJ Leadership Interns will be selected based on a number of factors, including:

 

• Interest in environmental and climate justice

• Academic credentials

• Work/volunteer history

• Recommendations

• Commitment to racial justice, human rights and environmental and climate justice

 

Selected participants will be awarded a stipend of $¬¬¬¬¬¬550 on a bi-weekly basis to offset living and travel expenses while participating in the program. This stipend will be processed through our payroll system and is subject to applicable state, local, and federal taxes.

 

ECJ Leadership Interns will be responsible for securing their own housing and transportation for the duration of the program.

 

ECJ Leadership Interns may also seek funding from outside sources to supplement the stipend.

 

Questions concerning the program should be directed to the ECJ Administrative Coordinator, at ecjp@naacpnet.org, please use the subject line of 2012 ECJ Leadership Intern Program.

 

Nondiscrimination:

It is the continuing policy of the NAACP to take affirmative action to assure equal opportunity for all current and prospective employees without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, marital status, familial status, family responsibility, pregnancy or other pregnancy-related conditions, childbirth, disability, military/veteran status, citizenship status, religion or political affiliation, past convictions or incarceration, prior psychiatric treatment, or any other status protected by federal or state law, local ordinance or Executive Orders. The NAACP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

To Apply: Resume, cover letter, writing sample, and salary requirements should be sent to NAACP:

 

Email: hresources@naacpnet.org (preferred method)

Mail: NAACP – Human Resources, 4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215

Fax: (410) 580-5735

Return to list of headlines.

Help Wanted at The Garden Farm in Chatham Village

We are in need of another part time helper in the garden. We are offering a work/live exchange in the village of Chatham – convenient to everything and the perfect opportunity for someone looking to learn how to farm. If you or anyone you know is interested, please respond directly to me via this email. Must be able to lift 50lbs, minimum, references required. Thanks very much!

 

The Garden Farm in Chatham Village

We proudly embrace the SPINfarming method, which is uber urban farming – French intensive relay cropping and the future of food production as we increasingly relocalize. Everything from our farm is grown organically, nutrient dense and with the aide of the biodynamic preparations. Our soils are cared for meticulously, we put back at least as much as we harvest. All irrigation and washing water is Chatham Village sourced and NY State certified. We use no fossil fuels in our practices except for delivery and proudly employ local folks in our operation.

 

Gianni Ortiz

gianni@gianniortiz.com

518.392.8545

Return to list of headlines.

Back To Top