The BEAT News November 21, 2012

News Headlines

Oil spill taints Housatonic River in Pittsfield

from the Berkshire Eagle

 

A small amount of oil spilled into the Housatonic River from an unknown location Tuesday afternoon.

Efforts were made overnight by state Department of Environ mental Protection to soak up the oil by placing absorbent booms and pads throughout the river.

Pittsfield Fire Department and DEP members arrived shortly after the oil was spotted just after 3 p.m. The oil traveled down river before collecting at a patch of debris near an old dam off of Industrial Drive, according to Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Kilmer. <MORE>

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North Berkshire Audubon invites area bird watchers to participate in the 113th national Christmas Bird Count.

From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission – often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

The NBA Count will be held on Saturday December 15. The 24-hour count period begins at midnight Friday and extends to midnight Saturday.

There are four groups going out in our area; Adams, East Williamstown and North Adams, Central and western WIlliamstown and South WIlliamstown.
Teams of at least 2 will visit as many habitats as possible during the day, and also go out owling, to identify as many species and count as many individual birds as possible.

People in the area are also encouraged to track and report birds at their feeders.  At the end of the day we will convene at Sheep Hill, the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation’s headquarters in Williamstown, for the count-up potluck.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations – and to help guide conservation action.  From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.

North Berkshire Audubon is an informal group that sponsors bird walks and trips throughout the year. For more information about the Christmas Count or NBA, contact Leslie Reed-Evans at 413-458-5150 or at lre@wrlf.org.

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BEAT’s Thoughts on EOEEA’s Budget Hearings – 2 Cents for the Environment!

It appears that Massachusetts spends less, as a percentage of its budget, on the environment than any other state in the nation.

Please – take action! Write comments asking that the budget for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection be restored to what it was in 2002, and that the whole environmental budget be brought up to 2% of the state budget. I am willing to give 2 cents of every dollar to the environment. How about you? On the revenue side – let DEP investigate and enforce environmental violations. Make the polluters pay! Let the state know that you want them to protect human and environmental health, and rare species as well.

Written comments will be accepted through the close of business on December 14th. Please address them to:

Richard K. Sullivan, Secretary
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114
ATTENTION: FY 14 Budget

and you can send them by email to: env.internet@state.ma.us   subject line: FY 14 Budget
According to a well documented piece by  Sunshine Review, the FY 2013 Massachusetts budget of $32.5 Billion  had $178 Million for “environment”  – that includes the Department of Energy; and state parks, forests, campgrounds, and swimming pools; as well as the Department of Fish and Game, the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, and the Department of Environmental Protection. That means that for every tax dollar, about a half of one penny went to environmental programs – which means way less than that went to environmental protection.
According to a Boston Globe article “The House is proposing a 14 percent budget cut to the [Department of Environmental Protection] agency, which would drop the number of full-time equivalent staff to 720, its lowest level in decades. In 2009, the agency had a staff level of 1,004.” That is still well below its 2002 staffing level of 1,200 – back when DEP had the staff to catch and fine polluters.

From the same article:
“-The state has reduced the number of rivers, streams, and lakes where it tests nondrinking water quality from an average of 125 a year to 36 in 2010. The number of overall samples taken has also decreased from 750 per year to 250 in 2010, and there is now a five-year backlog at DEP to analyze the water quality data.

“-The agency has also cut back dramatically on testing surface waters for bacterial pollution from nearby sources by about 85 percent, from 1,750 samples collected per year to 250 collected last year.

“- DEP has long given free technical assistance to municipal conservation commissions to better protect wetlands. The number of these “circuit riders’ has declined from seven to three and the number of conservation commission meetings and site visits they go to has been slashed from 400 to 160 a year.

” – The agency has reduced inspections for hazardous or banned substances at landfills, incinerators, and transfer stations from 53 in 2009 to 11 in 2010.”

 

EOEEA Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Hearings

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) will hold 2 hearings to allow interested parties to provide their comments as part of our Fiscal Year 2014 recommendation process.

BOSTON:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
100 Cambridge Street, Boston, 2nd floor
Conference Room C-D
Please bring a picture I. D. to access the second floor security

NORTHAMPTON:

Wednesday, December 5, 2012
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School – In the Cafeteria
Northampton, MA 01060

Written comment is encouraged prior to the hearing. Interested parties may also submit written comments at the hearing or through the close of business on December 14th. Please address them to:

Richard K. Sullivan, Secretary
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114
ATTENTION: FY 14 Budget

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Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts Website Launched  

The Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts (BFN/Mass), a collaborative network of farmers and farm service providers dedicated to beginning farmer success in the Bay State, has launched a new website to share resources and cultivate successful farmers at www.bfnmass.org

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Northeast Environmental History Conference—Call for Papers

On April 20, 2013, the 2013 Northeast Environmental History Conference will be held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference will focus on rapid environmental changes. Papers can be on topics such as the roles of nature and society in natural disasters, cultural adaptations to rapid change, the role of the state and local communities in addressing environmental shifts, and other issues. See the Call for Papers, which are due by December 1.

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RGGI Investments Avoid 12 Million Tons of Carbon Dioxide Pollution, Generate $1.3 Billion in Lifetime Energy Bill Saving

A RGGI News Release

Program Turns “Triple-Play” by Delivering Environmental, Consumer, and Economic Benefits to Region

NEW YORK, NY, November 19, 2012 — The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) states today released a report summarizing the consumer, economic, and environmental impact of investments made using proceeds from RGGI’s CO2 allowance auctions. The report analyzed the lifetime impact of RGGI investments made from 2009 to 2011 in the nine RGGI states – Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The report, Regional Investment of RGGI CO2 Allowance Proceeds, 2011 [Full Report and Executive Summary] estimates that RGGI investments will offset the need for more than 27 million megawatt hours of electricity generation and 26.7 million British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy generation. This savings will help avoid the emission of 12 million short tons of carbon dioxide pollution, an amount equivalent to taking 2 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year.

In addition to their environmental impact, RGGI investments have also had a positive impact on consumer energy bills and the regional clean energy economy. The report found that, from 2009 to 2011, RGGI investments:

  • Directly benefited 2.9 million households and 7,400 businesses.
  • Generated an estimated $1.3 billion in lifetime energy bill savings for utility customers.
  • Channeled over $617 million into the region’s clean energy economy.
  • Returned $69 million in bill credits to an estimated 84,000 low-income families.
  • Helped an estimated 2,400 workers secure training in clean energy job skills.

“By helping to modernize the region’s energy infrastructure, RGGI investments are lowering consumer utility bills through energy efficiency, supporting development of cleaner energy sources, and reducing emission from criteria pollutants and carbon dioxide,” said Collin P. O’Mara, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Chair of the RGGI, Inc. Board of Directors. “Overall, RGGI investments have turned a ‘triple-play’ that delivers significant economic, environmental, and consumer benefits to businesses and families in the region.”

Making an Impact

The report analyzes $617 million in RGGI investments from 2009 to 2011 across four main categories: energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy, direct energy bill assistance, and greenhouse gas abatement and climate change adaptation. Key findings include:

  • States in the region directed 66% of their RGGI investments to energy efficiency, 5% to clean and renewable energy, 17% to direct energy bill assistance, and 6% to greenhouse gas abatement and climate change adaptation programs.
  • RGGI investments in energy efficiency have already offset the need for over 1.6 million MWhs of electricity generation and are expected to offset the lifetime need for a total of almost 22 million MWhs of electricity generation.
  • RGGI investments in renewable energy have helped avoid the need for over 178,000 MWhs of electricity generation to date, and are expected to help avoid the need for over 2.9 million MWhs of electricity over their lifetime.
  • RGGI investments have reduced energy costs for 2.9 million households and businesses, realized through ratepayer savings of $204 million to date and $1.3 in savings estimated over the programs’ lifetime.

“The RGGI program has provided its participating states with significant environmental, economic, and consumer returns on investment,” said David Littell, a Commissioner of the Maine Public Utilities Commission and Vice-Chair of RGGI, Inc. “These investment returns have helped make the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region a leader in energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions abatement, and are accelerating the region’s transition to a clean energy economy.”

The Full Report and Executive Summary are now available.
About the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the second RGGI control period (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) have implemented the first mandatory market-based regulatory program in the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Power sector CO2 emissions are capped at 165 million short tons per year through 2014. The cap will then be reduced by 2.5 percent in each of the four years 2015 through 2018, for a total reduction of 10 percent.

RGGI is composed of individual CO2 budget trading programs in each state, based on each state’s independent legal authority. A CO2 allowance represents a limited authorization to emit one short ton of CO2, as issued by a respective state. A regulated power plant must hold CO2 allowances equal to its emissions to demonstrate compliance at the end of each three-year control period. RGGI’s second control period began on January 1, 2012 and extends through December 31, 2014. CO2 allowances issued by any state are usable across all state programs, so that the individual state CO2 budget trading programs, in aggregate, form one regional compliance market for CO2 emissions. For more information visit www.rggi.org.

About Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI, Inc.) was created to provide technical and administrative services to the states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, visit: www.rggi.org/rggi.

The RGGI auctions are administered by RGGI, Inc. and run on an on-line platform provided by World Energy Solutions, Inc.

CONTACT:
Jason Brown, RGGI Inc.
(212) 417-3179
jason.brown@rggi.org

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Chickley River to be Restored

It’s been nearly a year since Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) first got involved in the post-Irene damage occurring along the Chickley River in Hawley, MA. When we saw that five miles of the Chickley River were being straightened, dredged, and bermed – an effort that went far beyond what was necessary to repair and protect infrastructure – we took action to make sure that the damage to this cold-water fishery and potential threat to public safety did not go unnoticed. Our action resulted in an enforcement order from MassDEP, and we are proud to announce that an agreement has been reached that will put the Chickley River on the road to recovery.

 

Under a comprehensive settlement approved yesterday by MassDEP, the construction company E.T.&L. and the Town of Hawley will be responsible for restoring the river to its original river bottom elevation, connecting it with the floodplain, re-creating habitat such as riffle and pool complexes, and planting trees. The settlement requires that $150,000 be placed into an escrow account to pay for the replanting of vegetation, future monitoring, and corrective actions. CRWC, the Deerfield River Watershed Association, and individual citizens intervened in the appeal of this case, and our involvement brought about several improvements to the outcome, including the restoration plan.
The intervenors included landowners of Hawley allowing access to their property, those who contributed to our legal expenses, the law firm of Anderson & Kreiger of Cambridge, wetlands ecologist Patrick Garner, and the technical experts at Trout Unlimited. For more information on this victory go to  www.ctriver.org/land.

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Position: Conservation Easement Coordinator – New England Forestry Foundation

Supervisor: Director of Forest Stewardship

We would appreciate receiving applications by November 30, 2012.

The Conservation Easement Coordinator is responsible for the annual inspections, monitoring and oversight of NEFF’s conservation easements on private land and the development of baseline reports for NEFF’s conservation easement projects. Responsibilities also include managing the conservation easement database, maintaining records and files, and maintaining relationships with easement donors. The position will coordinate possible easement enforcement activities with the Director of Forest Stewardship, the Executive Director, and NEFF legal counsel. The position is also responsible for monitoring activities related to NEFF forests, post-harvest inspections, property management issues, and administrative duties related to maintaining files and records on the forest properties.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Organize and implement a monitoring schedule for all conservation easements annually; • Prepare baseline reports for new conservation easements; • Maintain NEFF’s conservation easement database and files • Coordinate NEFF’s involvement and responsibilities to the Land Trust Alliance’s conservation insurance program • Supervise interns in their conservation easement monitoring duties • Assist easement landowners with questions about their conservation easement or resource management needs and maintain positive relationships with easement landowners • Coordinate easement enforcement action, if appropriate, with the Director of Forest Stewardship, the Executive Director, and NEFF legal counsel • Attend periodic workshops and conferences on topics related to forestry, easement monitoring and enforcement • Monitor NEFF forests for property management issues and conduct post-harvest inspections; • Perform property management related activities, such as boundary, trail and sign maintenance as required • Develop professional skills related to Geographic Information Systems.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • Excellent written and oral communications skills • Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry, Natural Resource Management or related fields • High level of computer literacy and comfort, proficient in Word, Excel, and GIS • Interest in natural resources, forestry and land conservation • Willing to travel throughout New England, sometimes overnight and on weekends • Ability to work collaboratively with individuals and organizations with a wide range of philosophies • Ability to work productively and take initiative with modest supervision.

COMPENSATION Salary is commensurate with experience. NEFF offers a competitive benefits package, including a 401(K), health/dental coverage, paid vacation, short & long term, AD&D and life insurance.

APPLICATION Send resume and cover letter in confidence to:

Maria Garcia Accounting/Personnel Manager
New England Forestry Foundation
P.O. Box 1346 Littleton, MA 01460
mgarcia@newenglandforestry.org
978 952 6856 (p)
978 952 6356 (f)

Electronic submission of credentials is strongly encouraged. We would appreciate receiving applications by November 30, 2012.

New England Forestry Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse pool of candidates.

For more information, see www.newenglandforestry.org

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EPA Releases Draft Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program and Grant Guidelines 

EPA has released draft Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories for review and comment. The revised guidelines provide states and territories with a framework to use section 319 Clean Water Act grant funds to effectively implement their state nonpoint source management programs. The guidelines provide updated program direction, an increased emphasis on watershed project implementation in watersheds with impaired waters, and increased accountability measures. They also emphasize the importance of states updating their nonpoint source management programs to ensure that section 319 funds are targeted to the highest priority activities. EPA is requesting comments by December 7, 2012. Click here for the guidelines. Comments should be sent to 319grants@epa.gov.

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Work for a Green Future: Apply to be an Environment America Fellow

Each year, Environment America hires recent college graduates with the passion, the commitment and the talent it takes to stand up to polluters, organize public support and fight for our environmental values.

You can find out more about us and apply to be an Environment America fellow by visiting https://jobs.environmentamerica.org.

Environment America

Environment America works to advance the environmental vision and values we share—clean energy, clean water, wilderness and wildlife protection, healthy food and sustainable agriculture, and more. With nearly 100 professional staff, more than 1 million members, activists and allies and affiliates in 29 states, we organize the support it takes to stand up to polluting industries and ultimately sweep past them.  The results of our work include more solar and wind power in 22 states, caps on global warming pollution in six states and a regional cap on global warming pollution from power plants in 10 states, bans on plastic bags in more than 50 cities, better-protected parks like Minnesota, and stronger protections for waterways like Michigan.

But let’s not kid ourselves: our planet is still in deep trouble. Temperatures are soaring, forests are burning, and sea levels are rising. Factory farms and other polluters have created massive biological dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay. Mining, logging, budget cuts and other threats plague our national and state parks.

Fighting for the environment is the challenge of a lifetime. You need to start somewhere. But where?

Environment America fellows

As an Environment America fellow, you’ll get a two-year crash course in the nuts and bolts of environmental activism, organizing, advocacy and the type of institution-building that can sustain long-term battles. The work you’ll do will matter, and be essential to our success from day one

Learn by doing

Working with our senior staff, you’ll plan and run grassroots campaigns, lobby lawmakers, publish op-eds, set up and speak at news conferences, organize town hall meetings, run citizen outreach campaigns, identify new members, raise money, recruit and manage staff and much more.

Gain the experience you need to lead

After two years, you’ll have participated in a rigorous training, gained invaluable hands-on experience, taken on more responsibility than you thought possible, and made a difference on issues that matter day-in and day-out. And, best of all, you’ll be ready to become a lead advocate, a lead organizer or a state director with Environment America or one of our state affiliates. You might even start a new state affiliate or launch a new program.

To learn more and apply

You can find out more about us and apply to be an Environment America fellow by visiting https://jobs.environmentamerica.org.

Contact Monique Sullivan with any questions at 202 440 4318 and msullivan@environmentamerica.org.

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