Jobs
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director – North Adams, MA
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation – Executive Director – Williamstown, MA
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Member Positions
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Operations & Communications Coordinator, full-time staff position, available Sept/Oct
EPA upholds plan to remove PCBs from Housatonic River, rejects GE objections
from the Berkshire Eagle
The long-awaited final administrative decision from the Environmental Protection Agency on the Rest of River PCB cleanup along the Housatonic south of Pittsfield upholds the agency’s plan to require GE to remove the toxic chemicals out of state. And the ruling rejects GE’s numerous objections to the plan, setting up the likelihood of another extended delay before the river cleanup can begin.
In a 10-page decision announced late Tuesday by the EPA’s Boston office, regional counsel Carl Dierker turned aside GE’s contention that the agency is “not allowed to consider state and local opposition to on-site disposal of the PCB waste.”
GE has claimed that the federal court order governing the river cleanup makes no mention of local opposition for deciding where to dump the contaminants.
“In evaluating the positions advanced by GE and EPA, I find that EPA’s approach regarding consideration of state and local stakeholder views to be entirely reasonable,” Dierker wrote.
His ruling will be music to the ears of many local opponents to GE who have insisted that the chemicals be trucked out of state to a licensed disposal facility.
“EPA has come to the conclusion that the longstanding and vigorous opposition to a new PCB landfill effectively means that a certain path forward, i.e. on-site disposal, would be difficult or impossible to pursue and therefore would not be implementable,” the final ruling asserted.
Dierker cited in support of his decision the “close intergovernmental partnerships EPA cultivates with state and local governments.”
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has opposed creation of a local landfill in Lee or Great Barrington, as GE has urged, since state law prohibits dumping of PCBs within the state. <more of the Berkshire Eagle article>
Upcoming November 9, Citizens’ Coordinating Council Meeting
Next Housatonic River CCC meeting with EPA to talk about the General Electric PCB cleanup of the Housatonic River is Wednesday November 9, 2016. Lenox Library Reading Room, located at 18 Main St, Lenox, MA 01240, from roughly 5:30-7:30pm. The public is strongly encouraged to attend!!!
For more information about the cleanup, PCBs, and the contamination of the Housatonic River, please visit the EPA website.
Consumer, Business, and Clean Energy Organizations Call on CT PURA to Significantly Reduce
Electric Residential Fixed Charge
This is news from Connecticut, but it matters everywhere as electric companies try to sock it to electric customers who use less energy, often the poorest customers, having them subsidize those who use the most.
Acadia Center released a letter signed by sixteen national and regional organizations urging the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to reduce the fixed charge, or monthly basic service charge, currently paid by residential customers of United Illuminating (UI). The supporting organizations represent a diverse coalition, including consumer groups protecting low income and vulnerable ratepayers, solar, storage, and energy efficiency businesses, and public interest organizations fighting for cleaner air and lower greenhouse gas emissions. UI’s residential customers currently pay the second highest fixed charge, $17.25 per month, of any investor-owned electric utility in New England. The fixed charge is a major issue in the ongoing UI rate case because of a new consumer protection law enacted in 2015 that requires PURA to apply a new standard to fixed charges.
“The UI rate case is a pivotal moment for Connecticut’s clean energy economy,” said Bill Dornbos, Connecticut Director and Senior Attorney at Acadia Center. “Reducing UI’s high fixed charge for residential customers would not only give immediate relief to Connecticut homeowners who are struggling with high energy costs, but it would also better align our electricity pricing with our energy efficiency and clean energy policies and help grow clean energy industries that can boost Connecticut’s economy.”
Connecticut’s new fixed charge law was proposed in response to public outcry over the outcome of the 2014 rate case for Connecticut Light & Power (now Eversource) in which PURA allowed an increase in the fixed charge for Eversource’s residential customers to $19.25 per month, currently the highest residential fixed charge for any investor-owned electric utility in the region.
“Floor statements made at the time by legislators from both parties make it clear that they passed the new law because they wanted to see fixed charges capped and reduced. They clearly did not want the status quo to continue,” said Dornbos.
The standard in Connecticut’s new fixed charge law establishes a formula that is used in many other states. Using this formula, fixed charges generally end up in the range of $5 to $10 per month. In the UI rate case, the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel has offered expert testimony concluding that the residential fixed charge should be reduced to between $6 and $8 per month to comply with the new law’s requirements. PURA is scheduled to issue a proposed final decision in the UI rate case in November.
“Around the country, electric utilities have been pushing for higher fixed charges to guarantee a bigger percentage of their revenue and diminish incentives for energy efficiency and local clean energy. By properly implementing the new law, Connecticut would become a national leader and help reverse this trend,” said Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney at Acadia Center.
The letter requesting a reduction in UI’s residential fixed charge is available online.
National Geographic’s Years of Living Dangerously is back for a second season
from Environment America
National Geographic’s Years of Living Dangerously is back for a second season, and Environment America is providing an inside look: Years of Living Dangerously is a documentary television series focused on global warming.1
The original nine episodes aired in 2014. A new eight-episode season starts on October 30. With footage and testimonials from people who are experiencing climate change first-hand, and commentary from influencers like Matt Damon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lesley Stahl, and Sigourney Weaver, this series has the potential to inspire real change.
Take a minute to watch A Race Against Time from Years of Living Dangerously.
The good news is we can make real change right now. If our governors put us on the path to 100 percent renewable energy, we may not have to witness what global warming has next in store for us.
For our future, for our children.
From Anna Aurilio Environment America Federal Legislative Director
BEAT Note: We strongly support the push to move to 100% renewable energy as quickly as possible.
1 Years of Living Dangerously: A Race Against Time, National Geographic, accessed September 23, 2016.
Factory farming practices are under scrutiny again in N.C. after disastrous hurricane floods
A filthy brown sea, a slurry of mud, debris, chemicals and waste, has overtaken miles of rural counties in North Carolina. Against the drab water, the shiny metal roofs of hog houses are impossible to miss, visible from the air, as are the rectangular and diamond-shaped outlines of massive lagoons constructed just feet away.
When those lagoons are doing their job, the liquid excrement they hold is a deep reddish-pink. Berms and pumps are designed to keep that bacteria-laden sludge from spilling out. But across coastal plain here – home to one of the highest concentrations of hog farms in the country – the lagoons’ content now looks more like the surrounding floodwater.
In a state already reeling from lost lives, homes and livelihoods, the color is evidence of major environmental risks.
Hundreds of hog and poultry farms may have been inundated last week as the Neuse, Lumber and Tar rivers roared over their banks, a rampage powered by the deluge of Hurricane Matthew. The carcasses of several thousand drowned hogs and several million drowned chickens and turkeys were left behind. An incalculable amount of animal waste was carried toward the ocean. Along the way, it could be contaminating the groundwater for the many people who rely on wells in this part of the state, as well as threatening the delicate ecosystems of tidal estuaries and bays. <more>
Jobs
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director
The Hoosic River Revival, based in North Adams, Massachusetts, seeks an Executive Director to lead our river restoration efforts. We are a community-based nonprofit working to contribute to North Adams’ urban renaissance by transforming an unattractive concrete-walled section of the Hoosic River into a beautiful, ecologically-sound and publicly-accessible riverscape. This full-time position provides an opportunity to live in the beautiful New England Berkshires and oversee a project that will benefit local ecosystems and economies. No previous experience with river ecology is required. Our ideal candidate will have strong experience with project management and working closely with a board, as well as navigating government processes. To read the full job description go to http://www.hoosicriverreviv
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation – Executive Director
The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF), a 30-year old land conservation trust and education organization in Williamstown Massachusetts, announces the retirement next year of its long-time executive director, Leslie Reed Evans, and the search for her replacement to lead WRLF during an exciting time in its history. Leslie’s tenure at WRLF has spanned 23 years of exemplary service to our community. She was hired in late 1993 as interim director and was offered the permanent position in 1995 at a time when the organization was completing several major land conservation projects under her dynamic leadership and was in the midst of its largest yet, the effort to preserve the south Williamstown farm and forest lands owned by Norris Phelps along Oblong Road and extending to the Taconic Ridge. At that time, WRLF had a 14-member Board of Directors, a supporting membership of about 200 families, and an annual budget of $39,000. There were 268 acres of private land under conservation restriction, and 66 acres in WRLF’s direct ownership.
Today, WRLF annually monitors 288 acres of conservation restriction land and has close to 600 acres under its own management, including its 55-acre Sheep Hill headquarters and 380 acres on Pine Cobble, its largest preserve. Its membership has more than doubled and its annual budget has grown nearly tenfold. It has established itself as a key resource in the community and an important contributor to the beauty and quality of life which Williamstown residents and visitors alike enjoy.
During Leslie’s tenure and with the active participation of an engaged, dedicated Board of Directors, WRLF undertook many innovative projects, including managing the Reynolds limited development/conservation project, making land available for the Williamstown’s first Habitat for Humanity home, and establishing Caretaker Farm as a Community Land Trust to make it affordable to a new generation of farmers. Perhaps what Leslie is most proud of and in addition to the land conservation projects she has overseen is the acquisition and preservation of Sheep Hill and its establishment as a community resource for outdoor education and recreation for families, school children and visitors.
The search for a new executive director will begin immediately. The job posting and explanation of the application requirements are described on WRLF’s website, wrlf.org, under “Job Opportunities” on the home page. For further information contact WRLF or call its headquarters at 413-458-2494.
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Member Positions
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps was established in 2010 by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust as a collaboration of regional conservation organizations seeking to engage with more people and do more community conservation projects. The mission of the Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT-AmeriCorps) is to strengthen and grow the land conservation movement by developing the next generation of land trust leaders and mobilizing them in every MA community. Our vision is one where the benefits of land conservation reach every community and are meaningful for all people.
This year, 36 MassLIFT-AmeriCorps members will serve at 21 different host sites (including urban conservation and community gardening/food systems non-profits) across Massachusetts as Land Stewardship Coordinator, Regional Conservation Coordinator, Youth Education Coordinator, or Community Engagement Coordinator. Members create and accomplish projects that increase their host site’s capacity, educate people in environmental stewardship, engage people in volunteerism, and include new constituencies. Specific activities vary by host site.
People of color strongly encouraged to apply. AmeriCorps programs provide equal service opportunities. MassLIFT works to ensure a diverse and inclusive climate without regard to any particular status. We encourage applications from individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations for interviews and service upon request. The program runs 8/29/16 – 7/28/17. More info at masslift.org.
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Operations & Communications Coordinator, full-time staff position, available Sept/Oct
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps was established in 2010 by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust as a collaboration of regional conservation organizations seeking to engage with more people and do more community conservation projects. The mission of the Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT-AmeriCorps) is to strengthen and grow the land conservation movement by developing the next generation of land trust leaders and mobilizing them in every MA community. Our vision is one where the benefits of land conservation reach every community and are meaningful for all people.
The Operations and Communications Coordinator (OCC) supports the MassLIFT-AmeriCorps program vision on a statewide scale. Reporting to the MassLIFT Program Director, the OCC manages member recruitment and onboarding, communications and marketing, and day-to-day administration of program operations.
We’re aiming to fill this position in September/October 2016. MassLIFT-AmeriCorps may spin off as a separate nonprofit between Fall 2016 and Summer 2017, in which case program headquarters would likely move to Lowell, MA. Applicants should be prepared and willing to relocate to be able to work out of a Lowell office. View the complete position description and application instructions at masslift.org.