Thank you to Rachel Branch, producer of the television show Solutions Rising for including a “BEAT” series for people to learn more about the fracked gas pipelines proposed to bring gas from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania across New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to a gas hub in Dracut, MA. The show interviews many people providing information about the proposed pipelines as well as the many alternatives to these pipelines.
Court delays hearing on eminent domain request for Kinder Morgan’s Otis State Forest pipeline
If the Texas-base pipeline giant Kinder Morgan thought that Berkshire Superior Court would readily allow it to streamline its pipeline project in the Otis State Forest in Sandisfield, the company was likely surprised by yesterday’s Court Order. The Court granted the Commonwealth’s request for a delay of the hearing that had been set for Thursday, March 31. By Mary Douglas, The Berkshire Edge, March 30, 2016.
Speakers oppose Kinder Morgan’s request to take land for pipeline
“No eminent domain for private gain” summed up the message of speakers during a hearing Tuesday concerning the authority sought by Kinder Morgan to take lands along the proposed route of its Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline. Speakers leveled accusations of “bullying” “harassing” and “trespassing” against Kinder Morgan agents, imploring that the state Department of Public Utilities reject a powerplay petition recently filed by the company. Six DPU representatives ran the hearing and recorded comments. By Phil Demers, The Berkshire Eagle, March 29, 3016.
Environmentalist, canoeist Denny Alsop makes a local stop
For environmentalist and canoeist Denny Alsop, the biggest impediment to completing his 250-mile odyssey along the state’s rivers has been, well, himself. “What I really have to watch is my ego,” he said at a stop on Monday at Fred Garner Park. “I remember when I did this 28 years ago. I was a young man then. When I’m on the river today, I sometimes still think in those terms.” At 69, the nimble, affable Alsop is reprising a trip he took across the state at the age of 41. The intent is the same: To raise awareness of the need to keep our rivers clean. By Derek Gentile, The Berkshire Eagle, March 28, 2016.
Hundreds protest General Electric’s proposed PCB dumps
They packed the church to declare holy war on the General Electric Company’s plan to dump toxic PCB sludge dredged from the Housatonic River into three proposed landfills, one them in the village of Housatonic adjacent to the river into which, for four decades, GE had let millions of pounds of PCB-laced oil seep from its Pittsfield transformer manufacturing complex. Between 250 and 300 determined residents came to the Unitarian Universalist Church of South Berkshire to a Housatonic River Initiative (HRI) “Stop the Dumps” meeting to begin a grassroots process of blocking one of the world’s 10 largest corporations from continuing to despoil and mar a region that once embraced it for providing decades of jobs and security to Pittsfield residents. By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Edge, March 16, 2016.
Massachusetts solar backers say impasse taking toll on jobs, investments
Angling to capitalize on recent momentum, solar industry executives, workers and municipal officials pushed Tuesday to get a bill to foster growth in the solar power industry over the finish line, repeating their warning that further delays will cost the state jobs and money. It has been one year since the limit on incentives for homeowners and others to produce and sell solar power back to the grid was reached for customers served by National Grid. Since then, 550 solar projects have been stalled in Massachusetts and $618 million of investments have been put on hold, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. By Colin A. Young, State House News Service, as reported in The Berkshire Eagle, March 30, 2016.
Jobs
Environmental Justice Job – Arise for Social Justice
GIS Developer / Analyst – Housatonic Valley Association
Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance, and Nursery Positions available – Helia Native Nursery and Land Design
Office Manager – Mass Audubon Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries
Seasonal Ranger I (West) – MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (Pittsfield)
Seasonal Forest And Park Supervisor III (West) – MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (Pittsfield)
Seasonal Forestry Assistant – MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (Pittsfield)
Laborer II – Long Term Seasonal – MA Dept. of Conservation and Rereation (Pittsfield)
Office Manager, Part-time – BNRC
Court delays hearing on eminent domain request for Kinder Morgan’s Otis State Forest pipeline
By Mary Douglas
The Berkshire Edge
March 30, 2016
If the Texas-base pipeline giant Kinder Morgan thought that Berkshire Superior Court would readily allow it to streamline its pipeline project in the Otis State Forest in Sandisfield, the company was likely surprised by yesterday’s Court Order.
The Court granted the Commonwealth’s request for a delay of the hearing that had been set for Thursday, March 31.
Kinder Morgan began the judicial proceedings by filing a motion with the Court on March 16 to allow it to condemn easements by eminent domain, and to immediately enter land in Otis State Forest for the purpose of beginning tree-cutting activities relating to its planned natural gas pipeline loop, part of “the Connecticut Expansion.”
In short order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) filed a request for further information from the pipeline giant, and, on Monday, March 28, the Attorney General Maura Healey, representing the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), filed an emergency motion to extend the time of the hearing and of its written response to the motion.
Yesterday (March 29), the Court granted the Attorney General’s emergency motion to delay the hearing by “at least two weeks.”
Associate Justice John A. Agostini stated, “It is obvious that this litigation presents very complex and significant issues within the confluence of federal, state and regulatory law…. Having a preliminary injunction hearing on such short notice, particularly with all the outstanding issues, is neither feasible nor wise.”
The Commonwealth’s Emergency Motion, which apparently persuaded the judge, pointed out that several circumstances would prevent Kinder Morgan’s subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee), from beginning its activities in Otis State Forest regardless of whether a hearing were held.
First, Tennessee stated that FERC and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) directed that tree clearing for the Project occur only between October 1 and March 31 in order to protect migratory birds and other species. Tennessee stated that it has applied to USFWS for an extension to complete tree cutting by May 1, but has not yet received the extension.
Second, Tennessee stated in its March 16 filing that it “cannot commence construction until it…obtains a Notice to Proceed with construction from FERC.” But FERC has not only not granted the Notice to Proceed, but has requested clarification that the Company “would not fell trees in areas where it had not obtained an easement…including lands protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution.” Tennessee has not obtained the easements – having so far been unsuccessful in obtaining them from the Massachusetts DCR or from the Massachusetts legislature.
Third, Tennessee has not obtained necessary Section 401 Water Quality Certificates under the Clean Water Act from either the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection or the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The Attorney General summed up by saying that even if the Court were to resolve the case by April 15, as Tennessee requests, there is “no looming and legally effective deadline…and no compelling reason for the Court to expedite the proceedings” because Tennessee is unable to proceed anyway due to these unmet requirements.
Mass Audubon, which was instrumental in negotiating the acquisition and preservation of the Otis State Forest land, also wishes to file a friend of the court, or amicus curiae brief in the case and needs time to accomplish this.
The Court stated in its Order yesterday, “I fully appreciate that this matter must be addressed with alacrity; however, a hurried approach under these circumstances would not be consistent with the court’s responsibility to provide all parties with a fair hearing and a thoughtful decision.”
Rather than cancel the hearing time, however, the Court kept the March 31 date on the docket and asked the parties to be prepared to suggest a date for the preliminary injunction hearing, whether it would require an evidentiary hearing, whether the dispute involves only matters of law (rather than fact-finding), the significance of FERC’s recent information request, and other matters.
Tennessee has said that it must be able to begin construction on its gas pipeline project by June 1, 2016 in order to supply natural gas to three Connecticut gas companies by winter 2016 – 2017.
The Otis State Forest in Sandisfield includes 900 acres called Spectacle Pond Farm, which is, according to Mass Audubon, part of an interconnected area of protected open space encompassing more than 8,500 acres including BioMap Core Habitat, which describes the most ecologically valuable lands in the Commonwealth.
Mass Audubon also says that “the proposed pipeline would permanently degrade and fragment” Spectacle Pond Farm, an integral component of the Otis State Forest.
Speakers oppose Kinder Morgan’s request to take land for pipeline
By Phil Demers
The Berkshire Eagle
March 29, 2016
“No eminent domain for private gain” summed up the message of speakers during a hearing Tuesday concerning the authority sought by Kinder Morgan to take lands along the proposed route of its Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline.
Speakers leveled accusations of “bullying” “harassing” and “trespassing” against Kinder Morgan agents, imploring that the state Department of Public Utilities reject a powerplay petition recently filed by the company. Six DPU representatives ran the hearing and recorded comments.
The energy giant’s petition seeks to force affected landowners who have so far shooed off company agents to grant access by taking land for right-of-way survey easements.
“The commonwealth should not be complicit in trampling property owners rights for private profit,” said Cheryl Rose of Dalton.
Added her husband, Henry, “I hope you are doing more than politely listening to us today and that when you go back to Boston you will indeed reject this petition.”
Thirty-nine Berkshire County properties have been identified by Kinder Morgan along the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline route for compulsory land surveying because owners have refused access. The properties are in Hancock, Lanesborough, Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale and Windsor.
Many of these same individuals — the deniers — showed up to speak at Tuesday’s hearing, and they were angry.
“I question what they don’t understand about the word ‘no,'” Elizabeth Tatro, a Lanesborough farmer, said in telling of repeated visits, letters and phone calls from Kinder Morgan agents.
Williams Spaulding, a Hancock farmer, said he filed numerous “no trespass” orders against the company but still had to chase its people off his land.
“How can a corporation be allowed to trample the rights of individual landowners, trespass on their property, potentially damage the water supply and then threaten with eminent domain the people who stand up for their right to say, ‘no’?” Spaulding said. “This is about corporate greed at its most despicable; it is not about the greater good.”
The speakers raised concerns about the potential effects on groundwater quality and the gardens they use to feed their families. Some said they work from home and couldn’t abide the noise. Farmers worried about their animals and compensation for lost land.
Others simply professed a desire to keep lands protected by conservation law in protection.
“How can we say, ‘Sure, go ahead, we protected this land, but we didn’t really mean it’?” Dicken Crane, owner of Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton, said. “We can’t say that. We can’t possibly allow survey rights on land that we have put in development protection. The landowners [of conservation land] have a responsibility to not grant any access going against that protection.”
Elected officials in towns along the route also spoke at the hearing, supporting their residents in blocking Kinder Morgan.
Mary Cherry, vice chairwoman of the Dalton Select Board, read an official statement calling on DPU to “recognize, protect and uphold the private property rights of its citizens as guaranteed by the Massachusetts constitution.”
“We, the Select Board of the town of Dalton, stand with our citizens in affirming their rights to decide who shall enter their property and under what conditions,” Cherry said.
Windsor Selectman Douglas McNally called for increased investment in clean energy.
“The billions of dollars being invested in this last-century technology should instead be invested in wind, solar and hydro power, rather than spent to create short-term, short-sighted profits for [Kinder Morgan] executives and shareholders at the expense of our environment,” McNally said.
Stephen Bushway, a member of the Plainfield Energy Committee, said the company has not demonstrated a need for the gas, and so it would be ridiculous for the state to grant them eminent domain rights.
“Who, besides Kinder Morgan, has been able to make a solid argument for the pipeline?” Bushway said. “Our own Attorney General’s Office has concluded there is insufficient need. Kinder Morgan called that study ‘seriously flawed.’ Ladies and gentlemen, consider the source.”
Some public officials possessing degrees in engineering said the design and planning of the pipeline simply didn’t hold up well to scrutiny, increasing the chance of failure and ruin.
All of Tuesday’s speakers opposed the pipeline proposal.
In its petition to the DPU, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. maintains the surveys are necessary in order to provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with more information about the environmental impact of the project. The commission is not expected to issue a permit decision until November, at the earliest, and the pipeline would not be in service until late 2018.
The company is seeking the order allowing it to enter properties for survey activities within 200 feet on each side of the proposed pipeline route’s centerline.
Janet Bradley, another member of the public, brought the room to its feet in applause with her comments.
“I’m not here to beg or reason with you,” she said. “I’m here as a demonstration of our resolve. Do you think if this gets approved we’re going to crawl back into hour houses and say, ‘Oh well, we tried.’ Our answer to the [proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline] is no fracking way.”
Environmentalist, canoeist Denny Alsop makes a local stop
By Derek Gentile
The Berkshire Eagle
March 28, 2016
For environmentalist and canoeist Denny Alsop, the biggest impediment to completing his 250-mile odyssey along the state’s rivers has been, well, himself.
“What I really have to watch is my ego,” he said at a stop on Monday at Fred Garner Park. “I remember when I did this 28 years ago. I was a young man then. When I’m on the river today, I sometimes still think in those terms. ”
At 69, the nimble, affable Alsop is reprising a trip he took across the state at the age of 41. The intent is the same: To raise awareness of the need to keep our rivers clean.
From the Housatonic, Alsop will proceed to the Westfield, Connecticut, Quaboag, Qinebaug, French, Blackstone, Assabet and Sudbury rivers before finishing up on the Charles River in Boston.
For the past week, he has been paddling along the lower Housatonic, the area dubbed “Rest of River” in a cleanup plan south of Pittsfield that has been mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is requiring industrial giant General Electric to rid the river of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a man-made compound believed to cause cancer in humans and wildlife.
General Electric used PCBs in parts of its machinery for decades until the substance was banned in 1979. The company disposed of the substance into the Housatonic. The EPA has ordered GE to undertake a $613 million cleanup of the river by dredging portions of the riverbed and shoreline. GE is presently fighting this action on various legal, logistical and technical grounds
“That was fun,” he said. But when he began paddling again, Alsop discovered there had been some changes in the course of the river since he had been there last.
“The river had changed a little since the last time I’d been there,” he said. “The beavers had built a dam, and rerouted the river, and I ended up dragging my canoe across the grass to another part of the river. I’m still sort of recovering from that.”
Alsop’s journey takes him, he said, to vistas the experts don’t always see.”
One thing he’s seen is proof that one of the potential solutions forwarded by General Electric is unlikely to work. GE has advocated for a shallow dredging and capping on that stretch of the Housatonic.
But Alsop said he saw evidence of intense beaver activity along the lower Housatonic shoreline. Beavers, he noted, dig several feet into the riverbed and riverside and bring up silt and sludge to create their dams.
“You can see the beavers have excavated several feet into the silt,” Alsop said.
Alsop said he believes that GE’s scientists are aware of what he calls “the beaver problem.’
He also was also given a letter from Theodore “Tad” Ames, president of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, to be delivered to GE CEO Jeffrey M. Immelt.
In it, Ames urges Immelt to “truly bring good things to light” — wordplay on a marketing jingle by the company in the ’80s — and spend resources on a cleanup instead of attorneys.
Hundreds protest General Electric’s proposed PCB dumps
By Heather Bellow
The Berkshire Edge
March 16, 2016
They packed the church to declare holy war on the General Electric Company’s plan to dump toxic PCB sludge dredged from the Housatonic River into three proposed landfills, one them in the village of Housatonic adjacent to the river into which, for four decades, GE had let millions of pounds of PCB-laced oil seep from its Pittsfield transformer manufacturing complex.
Between 250 and 300 determined residents came to the Unitarian Universalist Church of South Berkshire to a Housatonic River Initiative (HRI) “Stop the Dumps” meeting to begin a grassroots process of blocking one of the world’s 10 largest corporations from continuing to despoil and mar a region that once embraced it for providing decades of jobs and security to Pittsfield residents.
But those days are over. It’s been cleanup time since 2000, when GE was forced by the federal and state government to clean up its mess. Now the company has cleaned up most of the area around its former Pittsfield plant, where polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) once sloshed around factory floors before being discharged into the Housatonic River, streaming through groundwater and into soil for miles, and being dumped around the city. But GE is now in a standoff with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over details of its “Rest of River” cleanup, since those PCBs traveled downstream, and into the floodplains, swirling contaminated sediment all the way into the state of Connecticut. Fish from the river can’t be eaten, you can’t swim in it, and the critters in that habitat have shown signs of harm.
“It’s a ghost of a river,” said one resident, Sage Radachowsky.
But GE doesn’t want the EPA telling it to ship the contaminated waste from the Rest of River cleanup to a certified remediation facility in Texas for $250 million more. It wants to drop it into three landfills instead — two adjacent to the river, and one in Lee near Goose Pond. The company already owns the land for the Lenox Dale and Housatonic dumps.
“It’s pretty simple,” said filmmaker Mickey Friedman, who made Good Things to Life, a documentary about the GE pollution saga. “It’s all about money.”
The standoff between GE’s legal might and a federal agency is a taste of what’s to come in keeping the dumps out. HRI Executive Director Tim Gray said litigation with GE is “not easy.”
“GE lawyers are very hard and they will fight us tooth and nail,” Gray said. “They can fight against EPA’s rules and regulations.”
If GE were to have its way, Gray said, it would just “leave the PCBs in the river.” The company is on a campaign to convince the public that cleaning the river will harm it, Gray added, noting that the sections GE already cleaned in Pittsfield are thriving. “They did a good job,” he said. Plants and trees are coming back, and fish are doing well. “This proves something very important.”
Gray said dredging is the only proven way, at the moment, to get what the EPA says are “likely” carcinogenic organic compounds out of the water, river floor, and river banks, and the EPA uses new technology making the process controlled and less disruptive to the river and its banks. “The EPA does it all over the country,” he said.
Ideally, the need for dumps will disappear with the advent of promising new biodegradation technologies, Gray said, and resident Nick Stanton, who has become a lay expert in bioremediation, explained how a protein concoction applied to contaminated soil can rouse native bacteria to clean soil and sediment by breaking down toxins. Stanton referred to the recent pilot project to remove dioxin contamination at 100 Bridge Street in Great Barrington. Though MassDEP shut the project down over several issues, the company that did the work, Biopath Solutions, has recent test results that show a success rate of 60 percent in certain areas, and 30 percent across the site. Biopath has eyed the river cleanup for some time, and is now engaging with the EPA in Michigan to use its technology on 89 acres in Kalamazoo. The company’s track record can be found here.
It doesn’t sit well with some that shipping out waste means a feared dump in someone else’s backyard. “Poor Texas,” Friedman noted, after mentioning another technique of doing away with PCBs: Thermal desorption, which heats the chemicals to high temperatures, producing a liquid that still needs special disposal.
And Pooja Ru Prema got up and said she didn’t like the idea of sending waste to what was likely a low-income community. She made a larger point as well. “Poorer countries cannot ship out toxics.”
GE may have legal prowess and the money to swim through endless seas of litigation. But the company will have its hands full dealing with Berkshire residents and local rules. “GE might own the land,” said an irate Jon Piasecki, “but we own the roads.” Piasecki further said tying GE up in regulatory knots might be the way forward to “add layers of complication, chaos and expense.”
But expense is nothing to GE, explained Gabrielle Senza, who told everyone $250 million was roughly GE’s annual advertising budget. And Ed O’Malley suggested all the nice tax breaks the company just got from Massachusetts after the company’s headquarters was lured to Boston by Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. Those tax breaks, O’Malley suggested, might help GE pay the extra money to ship the waste. And Stanton said he had done a little of his own figuring indicating the average GE investor wouldn’t even notice the difference to their dividends.
Others said the strategy is to hurt GE’s image. “Use the clean water card,” said Victor Canton. “GE is vulnerable to social media.”
Demanding the soil be treated rather than dumped would strike at the heart of GE’s “ecoimagination” campaign, Friedman added.
“If they don’t agree to meet with us,” said Ronnie Cunningham, “why don’t we have a sit in?”Others talked about sheer human pressure and volume. “We need to hold the [GE] CEO, Jeffrey R. Immelt, personally responsible,” said Maia Conty, of a strategy she said might be effective. “I’d like to invite his wife Andrea and his daughter Sarah, and connect as humans.” And if they don’t want to come talk, well, Conty said, we’ll just go down to his home in New Caanan, New York.
“I’m someone who likes to make noise,” said Ron Blumenthal, offering to help gather people to attend meetings and events.
Gray said he’d like to take a crowd over to the new GE headquarters in Boston, when Stockbridge resident Denny Alsopcompletes his second canoe trip across the state as a petition for clean water, and to “elevate the river and rivers.” Alsop told the crowd he would launch from Bartholemew’s Cobble in Ashley Falls on March 21 and will hit Fred Garner Park in Pittsfield on March 28 at 11 a.m.
Gray said the EPA always accepts and reads letters, though the formal public comment period has ended.
Housatonic Clean River Coalition’s Valerie Anderson wanted to emphasize that when writing to politicians, remember who the “bad guy” is. “The EPA doesn’t want dumps — it’s GE that wants dumps,” she said. “It’s GE, and don’t forget they moved their company to Boston.”
Speaking of politicians, Gray said “most of the politicians have gone running from this issue over the years,” but noted the presence of state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox). HRI has found most of its success with activism and “always doing something a little bit on the edge — we tend to get action that way.”
“We saw Hill 78 [dump] in Pittsfield next to a schoolyard,” Pignatelli said, “and now we see what we don’t want.”Pignatelli later told The Edge he was “pleased with the turnout,” and said it should come as no surprise that GE purchased 149 acres next to Rising Paper Dam in 2008 to cover its rear in case of future litigation by neighbors or abutters, since next to Woods Pond, Rising Dam has some of the highest PCB concentrations in the river. As alarming as the prospect of a dump here is to residents, Pignatelli said the position should be “no dumps in Berkshire County, period.” He added some perspective, by noting that it will take several years to resolve the impasse between GE and the EPA, and another 10 to 15 years to do the next phase of clean up. A dump in Housatonic is “decades away,” if GE should get their way, he added, and he is hopeful that bioremediation will eliminate the need for bank-to-bank dredging and dumps.
Massachusetts solar backers say impasse taking toll on jobs, investments
Angling to capitalize on recent momentum, solar industry executives, workers and municipal officials pushed Tuesday to get a bill to foster growth in the solar power industry over the finish line, repeating their warning that further delays will cost the state jobs and money.
It has been one year since the limit on incentives for homeowners and others to produce and sell solar power back to the grid was reached for customers served by National Grid. Since then, 550 solar projects have been stalled in Massachusetts and $618 million of investments have been put on hold, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
“Demand for solar in the commonwealth has never been higher, but the ability of ratepayers to access its benefits has never been more restricted,” said Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp, a Massachusetts-based commercial and community solar company. “If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that lawmakers have come to recognize the enormous potential of solar for their constituencies, and its importance as a driver of the Massachusetts economy.”
After huddling at the Omni Parker House on Tuesday morning, industry representatives delivered a petition with 5,170 signatures to House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s office and then visited other legislators to try to dislodge the bill that’s been behind the closed doors of a conference committee for more than four months.
“We believe that the political environment is supportive and can be supportive with everybody’s help today to get them over the finish line and create good, solid policies,” said Paul Spencer, president and founder of the Clean Energy Collective. “It’s of course imperative as we look forward at really being able to support various aspects of the state.”
Ashai said the months-long impasse between lawmakers has cost Nexamp customers “millions of dollars” and has prevented even more in private investment from being drawn to the state. He touted his company as an example of the type of business that could thrive in Massachusetts if it enacts a stable, long-term solar policy.
“We’ve grown tremendously over the past eight years, but it’s been very difficult to grow in an environment where you have legislative hiccups every year,” he said. “It’s very difficult to grow a business and make investments when you have no foresight into what the legislative environment is going to be.”
Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of 100 House lawmakers signed onto a letter to their own negotiators urging them to raise net metering caps, resist cuts in metering credit values, and advance a bill for floor debate as soon as possible.
Though House and Senate negotiators have yet to reach common ground on H 3854 and S 2058, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said the talks have been productive.
“Heard today everyone is feeling good in terms of where they are,” DeLeo told reporters Monday afternoon. “I can’t say their feeling good has translated to completion of the bill, but I think there’s general feeling that they’re heading in the right direction.”
DeLeo said he would like to see the solar bill resolved before tackling an omnibus energy bill that is expected to deal with hydroelectricity and wind power. The speaker has said he expects that bill to emerge for consideration in April.
Thomas Barrasso, director of energy and environment for Amesbury, said he has been waiting for a year to put a shovel in the ground on projects that would put solar panels on top of two landfills in that town, producing 10 megawatts of power and generating $5 million to $15 million in savings over 20 years.
“All of this lack of momentum has caused an upset in your industry and an upset from the municipal users,” he told the room full of solar industry representatives. “As long as we see some movement and see some revenue stream from both of those useless properties, the city of Amesbury will be more than happy to support solar development.”
Critics of the state’s solar policies say the cost of building solar projects has dropped substantially and lawmakers should resist locking in on “subsidies” that they say will saddle ratepayers for years, driving up already high energy prices.
Jobs
Environmental Justice Job Opening – Arise for Social Justice
Applicants should be familiar with environmental issues, have strong writing skills, and at least some organizing experience. Bilingual abilities strongly preferred. Half-time position.
Please submit a cover letter and resume to Ariseforsocialjustice@gmail.com or mail to Arise, 467 State St., Springfield MA 01105.
GIS Developer / Analyst – Housatonic Valley Association
Summary: The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks a skilled and motivated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professional with strong geospatial analytical and developer skills and demonstrated expertise with ESRI’s ArcGIS desktop, mobile and server technology for the full-time position of GIS Developer / Analyst. For 75 years, HVA has been dedicated to the health and vitality of the Housatonic River, a nationally recognized, 1,245,000 acre watershed located in western Connecticut and Massachusetts and portions of eastern New York. GIS is an HVA core competency. It is essential to the work we and our partners undertake to set conservation priorities, conserve the natural character and environmental health of our communities, and protect and restore the lands and waters of the Housatonic Watershed for this and future generations.Position Description: Working out of our Cornwall Bridge, CT main office, the incumbent works closely with HVA colleagues and acts as the GIS Manager for the organization. This is a full-time position with a competitive salary commensurate with experience. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining and enhancing HVA’s natural resource and parcel-based GIS data, developing geospatial models to perform spatial and tabular analysis, and publishing cartographic products as static paper maps and dynamic web-based applications.Required Qualifications:
- Proven capabilities with ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server
- Experience building interactive web-based applications using Arcgis Online and/or ArcGIS FlexViewer
- Familiarity with ArcGIS Story Maps
- Enthusiasm to remain current in GIS technologies
- Passion for Environmental Protection and Land Conservation
- Willingness to assist with non-GIS related activities
- Effective communicator in written and spoken language
- Valid Driver’s License
Desired Qualifications:
- Familiarity with GIS data sources for CT, MA and NY
- Familiarity with Amazon Web Services and managing ArcGIS Server on Amazon EC2
- Experience with GPS and mobile GIS data collection
- Experience using Data Driven Pages, ModelBuilder
- Experience managing ArcGIS Online Organization Account
To apply: Email cover letter, resume, examples of recent work using ArcGIS Desktop and ArcServer, and links to Facebook and Linkedin pages to: Tim Abbott tim.abbott@hvatoday.org. The position will remain open until it is filled.return to top
Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance, and Nursery Positions Available – Helia Native Nursery & Land Design
We specialize in Native Plants, Ecological Landscape Design, Wildflower Meadows, Site Restoration, Edible and Fine Gardens.We are expanding and currently have full time openings in the following positions:Landscape Design – The right candidate will have a strong background, full knowledge and experience in site surveying, base mapping and design, autoCAD and SketchUP, with a good knowledge of plants, especially natives. You must be energetic, hardworking, physically fit and a positive team-oriented person.Installation Manager – We are looking for a full time, energetic, hardworking, physically fit, positive, and team-oriented person to join our landscape installation team and manage installation jobs. Experience with native plants, garden installation, small machinery, stone work and maintenance is preferred.Garden Maintenance – Come join our full time fine garden maintenance team. We are looking for energetic, hardworking, physically fit, positive, and team-oriented people to join our team.Please call 413-274-1400 to apply or email your resume to helialanddesign@gmail.com. return to top
Office Manager – Mass Audubon Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries
Mass Audubon is seeking an Office Manager to join our Berkshire Sanctuaries team. The position is based at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, MA.
Responsibilities
- Perform a variety of office management and administrative duties;
- Manage all financial data including invoice payment, receivables, budget reconciliations, gifts and cash receipts;
- Develop marketing and publicity materials including social media, print pieces, e-newsletter, posters and press releases;
- Oversee online program registrations;
- Greet visitors, answer phones and provide trail information to visitors;
- Work with Mass Audubon headquarters staff to implement statewide initiatives for membership and information security;
- Manage and market facility rental program;
- Manage occasional fundraising or other events;
- Supervise maintenance of office equipment including printers, copiers, and phone system;
- Supervise visitor services staff;
- Manage Canoe Meadows Community Gardens registration;
- Manage Pleasant Valley Day Camp registration;
- Occasional weekend hours for special events;
- Attendance at 2-3 statewide Mass Audubon A-team meetings per year, required;
- Other duties as required.
Qualifications
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
- Excellent interpersonal and customer relations skills;
- Exceptional attention to detail and a highly organized approach;
- Ability to work both collaboratively and independently;
- Ability to manage a wide variety of tasks
- High proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher);
- Basic skills in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and InDesign) desirable;
- Experience managing social media and electronic newsletters;
- BA or equivalent experience;
- A sense of humor is welcome;
- Valid drivers license
- Must pass a background record check (CORI, SORI and driver’s).
Seasonal Ranger I (West) – (1600026F)
DescriptionAbout the Department of Conservation and Recreation: The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages one of the largest and most diverse state parks systems in the nation and protects and enhances natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts. DCR is a dynamic agency, and is one of the largest park systems in the nation. The DCR system includes over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, water supply protection lands, beaches, lakes, ponds, playgrounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, trails and parkways. The Department of Conservation and Recreation seeks qualified applicants for the position Seasonal Ranger I. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is seeking Park Rangers to patrol facilities to promote compliance with rules and regulations, protect natural and park resources, and enhance visitor experience through providing a presence and being available for visitor information; coordinate with law enforcement officials for appropriate regulatory action; and perform related work as required. Park Rangers normally work a forty-hour week (which includes nights, weekends, and holidays). April-early June will be Monday-Friday day shift. Mid June to August will require include week-end days and may include some evening shifts. Uniforms and training are provided; park housing is not. Successful candidates must attend the Seasonal Ranger Academy.Conducts patrols, either in a vehicle, on a bicycle or on foot, effectively utilizing techniques and available resources, to enforce applicable laws and regulations, provide visitor services, assess facility resources, assist visitors with first aid, and other public services as required.Perform the crossing of school-aged pedestrians on DCR roadways twice daily in accordance with the school’s schedule.Maintain an inventory of and maintain the condition of issued equipment.Complete Bureau records, reports, files, and logs.
Attend seminars, workshops, training sessions, etc., in order to maintain proficiencies.Participates in search and rescue operations in accordance with agency policy.Provide informal and, occasionally, formal information/educational programs, demonstrations, and materials for schools and civic groups as requires, in areas such as Ranger programs, park activities and services, outdoor skills, natural and cultural history and search and rescue.Respond and assist park staff at major incidents, assist at special events, and occasionally assist at statewide incidents or functions.Position Information: Seasonal Ranger I (00137682)Location: Mohawk Trail State Forest Complex, CharlemontStart Date: 4/24/16End Date: 11/5/16Position Information: Seasonal Ranger I (00182451)Location: Tolland State Forest Complex, OtisStart Date: 4/24/16End Date: 11/5/16Position Information: Seasonal Ranger I (00137661)Location: Moore House, AmherstStart Date: 4/24/16End Date: 12/30/16Preferred Qualifications:Knowledge of the standard procedures and techniques followed in foot, auto or other types of patrols.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of park or resource management.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of recreational programming.
Knowledge of general ecology and cultural history study, practice and principles.
Knowledge of the methods and techniques for presenting media productions, and drafting brochures and exhibits.
Ability to understand, explain and apply the rules, regulations, policies, procedures standards and guidelines governing assigned unit activities.
Ability to communicate effectively in oral expression.
Ability to give written and oral instructions in a precise, understandable manner.
Ability to speak effectively before the public
Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
Ability to gather information by examining records and documents and through observing and interviewing individuals.
Ability to accurately record information provided orally.
Minimum Entrance Requirements: Applicants must have at least (A) two years of full-time, or equivalent part-time experience in park or resource management, environmental education, water resources or water supply management, or natural/cultural history interpretation or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
1. Possession of a current and valid Massachusetts motor vehicle operator’s license.
2. Possession of a current and valid CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) certificate from the American Red Cross or the American heart Association.
3. Possession of a current and valid standard first aid and personal safety certificate and first responder certificate issued by the American Red Cross.An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Official Title: Ranger IWork Locations: Pittsfield – 740 South Street 01201Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Pittsfield-Pittsfield – 740 South StreetJob: Community and Social ServicesAgency: Department of Conservation & Recreation
Schedule: Full-timeShift: MultipleJob Posting: Mar 21, 2016, 12:43:07 PMNumber of Openings: 3Salary: 1,429.24 BiweeklyIf you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:: Agatha Summons-Maguire – 617-626-1282Bargaining Unit: 02-AFSCME – Service/Institutional
Seasonal Forest And Park Supervisor III (West) – (160001XB)
DescriptionAbout the Department of Conservation and Recreation: The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages one of the largest and most diverse state parks systems in the nation and protects and enhances natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts. DCR is a dynamic agency, and is one of the largest park systems in the nation. The DCR system includes over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, water supply protection lands, beaches, lakes, ponds, playgrounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, trails and parkways.The Department of Conservation and Recreation seeks qualified applicants for the position of Seasonal Forest & Park Supervisor III. The Seasonal Forest & Park Supervisor is responsible for supervising the maintenance and operations of parks, recreation areas, parkways, roadways, pedestrian ways and parking lots for public use. The incumbent of this position determines work priorities and resources, assigns and supervises staff, compiles and reviews data concerning park maintenance effectiveness and provides reports of all activities and incidents.SPECIFC DUTIES:
Supervises the maintenance of assigned recreational areas, including such activities as roadway and parkway maintenance, grounds maintenance, building and equipment maintenance and the repair and/or removal of hazardous conditions such as unsafe trees or limbs. Determines manpower and equipment resources necessary to accomplish assigned tasks.Maintains records and prepares reports concerning assigned work to provide information and make appropriate recommendations.Coordinates the activities and work of volunteers, court-referred individuals, etc.May prepares budgets for assigned areas by projecting resource needs and preparing required documentation for agency’s budget request.Monitors the activities involved in park and roadways maintenance work.Compiles and reviews data concerning effectiveness of park maintenance activities to prepare reports for supervisorProvides on-the-job training for new employees.Prepares reports as required; maintains records and logs on such matters as time and attendance of assigned personnel; performs routine vehicle maintenance inspections; and operates motor vehicles and other park machinery and equipment as required.Inspects damage to park areas, roadways, parking lots, equipment, etc. as a result of storms, vandalism and accidents to estimate the cost of labor and materials required for repairs and/or replacementsDetermines work priorities and assigns staff to specific tasks such as spraying, watering, planting trees, cleaning catch basins, trash removal, etc.Performs related work as assigned. Ability to work in a team setting. Ability to exercise sound judgment. Required to work outdoors in all types of weather. Work varied shifts and/or irregular hours; and stand for prolonged periods of time.POSITION INFORMATION: Position: Seasonal Forest & Park Supervisor III
Location: Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield
Start Date: 5/1/16
End Date: 11/12/16Salaries are based upon full-time/40 hours worked per week. Work schedules and days off are at the discretion of the Supervisor. This position may require working weekends and/or holidays.Qualifications
This requisition will remain open until filled; however, first consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must have at least (A) four years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, technical or professional experience in the field of forestry, parks or recreational management and (B) of which at least two years must have been in a supervisory capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
Substitutions:
I. An Associate’s or higher degree with a major in forestry, natural resources management or parks and/or recreation management may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.*
*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.
NOTE: No substitutions will be permitted for the required (B) experience. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Based on assignment, possession of a current and valid Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Official Title: Forest And Park Supervisor III Work Locations: Pittsfield-Cascade Street 012010000 Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Pittsfield-Pittsfield-Cascade StreetJob: Community and Social ServicesAgency: Department of Conservation & RecreationSchedule: Full-timeShift: MultipleJob Posting: Mar 11, 2016, 12:18:15 PMNumber of Openings: 1Salary: 1,758.24 BiweeklyIf you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:: Agatha Summons-Maguire – 617-626-1282Bargaining Unit: 02-AFSCME – Service/Institutional
Seasonal Forestry Assistant – MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (Pittsfield)
About the Department of Conservation and Recreation: The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages one of the largest and most diverse state parks systems in the nation and protects and enhances natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts. DCR is a dynamic agency, and is one of the largest park systems in the nation. The DCR system includes over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, water supply protection lands, beaches, lakes, ponds, playgrounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, trails and parkways.The Department of Conservation and Recreation seeks qualified applicants for the position Seasonal Forestry Assistant. Seasonal positions may be subject to the recall process and will be filled in accordance with collective bargaining agreements, positions not filled using this process will be interviewed for.Duties: Forestry Assistants work outdoors in all types of weather; work in isolated areas; may be exposed to the hazards of power tools and equipment such as chainsaws and hoists and travel for job related purposes.Assists in the preparation of forest management plans designed to provide water supply protection; assists in the interpretation of aerial photos, GPS and GIS data, and other cartographic work regarding forests; assists in the inventory of natural resources and the establishment and maintenance of state forest boundary lines.Assists in planning and supervision of timber stand improvement work by state forest crews and private contractors.Assists in the sale of wood products including preparing silvicultural prescriptions, minimizing adverse environmental impacts of harvesting, and ensuring contractual compliance by private contractors.Cooperates with state and municipal authorities during emergencies and natural disasters such as forest fires, wind or ice storms, and insect infestations.Performs related duties such as maintaining records and attending staff meetings.Specific Duties:
- Collecting forest inventory data (CFI) including tree measurements, forest assessment, forest understory assessment, and coarse woody debris measurement.
- Processing forest inventory data with a computer.
POSITION INFORMATION:Position: (2) Seasonal Forestry Assistant
Position 1 Location: Pittsfield Regional Office, 740 South Street Pittsfield, MA 01202
Position 2 Location: Amherst Field Office, 40 Cold Storage Drive, Amherst, MA 01004
Start Date: April 3, 2016
End Date: November 4, 2016Qualifications:Minimum Entrance Requirements:Applicants must have at least (A) one year of full-time, or equivalent part-time experience in forestry or natural resource management, or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.Substitutions:
- An Associate’s or higher degree with a major in forestry or forestry management may be substituted for the required
experience.**Education toward such a degree will be. prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.Special Requirements: Possession of a current and valid Massachusetts Class D Motor Vehicle Operator’s LicenseThis requisition will remain open until filled; however, first consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 dayMinimum Entrance Requirements:Applicants must have at least (A) one year of full-time, or equivalent part-time experience in forestry or natural resource management, or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.Substitutions:
- An Associate’s or higher degree with a major in forestry or forestry management may be substituted for the required experience.*
*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.Special Requirements: Possession of a current and valid Massachusetts Class D Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.Schedule: Full-time
Number of Openings: 2
Salary: 1,547.60 BiweeklyIf you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:: Agatha Summons Maguire – 617-626-1282Bargaining Unit: 09-MOSES – Engineers/Scientists
Laborer II – Long Term Seasonal (Pittsfield) – (160001F6)
DescriptionAbout the Department of Conservation and Recreation: The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages one of the largest and most diverse state parks systems in the nation and protects and enhances natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts. DCR is a dynamic agency, and is one of the largest park systems in the nation. The DCR system includes over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, water supply protection lands, beaches, lakes, ponds, playgrounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, golf courses, trails and parkways.The Department of Conservation and Recreation seeks qualified applicants for the position of Seasonal Planting Laborer II.The Seasonal Planting Laborer II will work outdoors in all types of weather and performs various manual labor tasks in support of the effort to plant trees in Massachusetts’s gateway cities to increase tree canopy cover for the purpose of reducing heating and cooling energy costs to residences and businesses.Seasonal staff dig and backfill tree planting holes and levels earth to grade; plant trees according to DCR Bureau of Forestry standards; load and unload tree stock from delivery vehicles; load and unload tools and equipment; maintain vehicle and equipment cleanliness.The basic purpose of this work is to perform manual tasks requiring specialized skill and the use of hand tools to support reforestation efforts.Performs various manual labor tasks, which may require some specialized skills, to plant trees.Digs holes for tree planting and plants trees according to DCR Bureau of Forestry standards.Loads and unloads trucks, physically or by use of dollies; unpacks and stores tools and supplies and equipment in stockrooms, storerooms or warehouses; and takes periodic inventories of supplies and equipment.Performs preventive maintenance on assigned equipment and tools by washing, inspecting, tightening, lubricating and by sharpening edges on all cutting tools.Performs related duties as assigned.Start date is March 20, 2016 and end date is November 19, 2016.
Preferred Qualifications: Possession of a current and valid Massachusetts Class D Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.Ability to speak and write Spanish and translate materials for homeowners who speak Spanish.Skill in using hand tools such as shovels, mattocks, pry bars, bolt cutters, clippers, etc. Ability to follow oral and written instructions. Ability to work in a team setting. Manual dexterity. Physical stamina and endurance for full time, hard manual labor. Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Willing to work in all weather conditions.
Qualifications: This requisition will remain open until filled; however, first consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.
Minimum Entrance Requirements: Applicants must have at least six months of full-time, or equivalent part- time experience in performing manual labor in connection with general construction or maintenance work.An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Official Title: Laborer II Work
Locations: Lee-Woodland Road
Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Lee-Lee-Woodland Road
Job: Equipment, Facilities & Services
Agency: Department of Conservation & Recreation
Schedule: Full-time Shift: Day
Job Posting: Mar 22, 2016, 4:09:37 PM
Number of Openings: 2
Salary: 1,220.36 Biweekly
If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:: Agatha Summons-McGuire – 617-626-1282
Summer Internships – Williams College
Summer Internships on Campus, Berkshire area & U.S. – Also: Summer Internship Funding: Check out dozens of campus and local environmental internships, all eligible for summer funding: Campus Emissions Research, Hopkins Forest Caretakers, Environmental Education, Sheep Hill environmental education, Farm Market/Ag research, Clark Art landscape internship, Environmental Analysis Lab, Hoosic River Watershed Association, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and more…http://ces.williams.edu/category/summer-jobs/National/Global Summer Internships: Dozens of enviro internships and research positions in the US, many developed specifically by CES alumnae for Williams students HERECES Summer Funding for internships and research information and application form here.Deadline: March 10 (second deadline: April 8).Position required to apply for funding.return to top
Office Manager, Part-time –
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a private, non-profit land trust based in Pittsfield, MA, seeks an energetic and organized person to become its Office Manager. The Office Manager supports BNRC’s programming as it pursues an ambitious conservation vision for the Berkshires.Duties of the position include general clerical work and maintenance of accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, financial statements, and insurance policies. Proficiency in Quickbooks required; familiarity with real estate transactions is a plus. 20 hours per week with some flexibility; competitive salary. Send resume to Sally Cornwell, BNRC, 20 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or scornwell@bnrc.net. No phone calls, please.return to top
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