In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators) DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire return to top |
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E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed a stricter standard for smog-causing pollutants that would bring substantial health benefits to millions of Americans while imposing large costs on industry and local governments. The Obama administration’s proposal sets a primary standard for ground-level ozone of no more than 0.060 to 0.070 parts per million, to be phased in over two decades. Regions with the worst smog pollution, including much of the Northeast, Southern and Central California and the Chicago and Houston areas, would have more time than other areas to come into compliance. The new rule would replace the standard of 0.075 parts per million imposed by the Bush administration over the objection of an E.P.A. scientific panel, which wanted a tighter limit. The previous standard of 0.084 parts per million was set in 1997 by the Clinton administration. More |
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Happy New Year from Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture! In exchange for a small fee, Local Hero members receive a variety of marketing and promotional services including a listing in the 2010 print edition of our highly regarded resource directory Locally Grown: Farm Products Guide, as well as on our online guide, and advertising discounts with local newspapers and radio stations. And of course, all Local Hero members receive access to our Local Hero logo to help with their own business promotions. Local Hero membership is open to qualified farms, restaurants, retailers, institutions, specialty product producers and landscape/garden centers in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties as well as the western portion of Worcester County. |
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Action Alert for the Public Lands Preservation Act The Public Lands Preservation Act (PLPA) has been reported out by the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture. Thanks to the efforts of many supporters, the Committee took action this week, giving the bill a favorable recommendation. The Public Lands Preservation Act (H. 3438) or PLPA (aka the Article 97 bill and the No-net-loss bill), would only allow approval of a change in use or disposition of Article 97 land (protected public land), only when there is no feasible alternative and if replacement land of equivalent acreage, market value, and natural resources value is provided - thus no net loss. The replacement land requirement is waived where a disposition is of buildings or leads to no significant permanent physical changes in the land. For more information on the bill see the Protect Mass Environment webpage. If you agree with BEAT and many other organizations that no net loss of our protected state lands is important, please take action! For those in the Berkshire - please thank Senator Downing and Representative Guyer for their support on this bill, and ask Representative Pignatelli, Speranzo, and Bosley to support the bill. For those outside the Berkshires, below is the list of co-sponsors to see if your representative(s) and senator(s) are on the list.
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Patrick-Murray Administration Announces 43 Grants for Environmental Improvements at Bay State Farms BOSTON - The Patrick-Murray administration today announced 43 grants totaling $662,000 for projects that will help farmers mitigate or prevent negative impacts to natural resources from agricultural practices. Awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' (DAR) Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program (AEEP) grants went to farms in the towns of Ashfield, Barnstable, Bernardston, Carlisle, Carver, Conway, Deerfield, Duxbury, East Longmeadow, Egremont, Hadley, Harvard, Harwich, Ipswich, Lakeville, Leominster, Middleboro, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, South Carver, Sudbury, Wareham, West Brookfield, West Wareham, Williamsburg, and Worthington. These grants will fund projects such as insulation for winter crop storage, photovoltaic systems, and wastewater treatment systems. "We are pleased to help farmers make their agricultural practices more sustainable," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles. "These awards are another example of the Patrick Administration's efforts to conserve natural resources throughout the Commonwealth." "In the past decade, the AEEP program has helped Massachusetts farmers address potential impacts on environmental resources and achieve the goal of energy efficiency," said DAR Commissioner Scott Soares. "I congratulate these recipients who are taking steps toward a more sustainable future." AEEP funds water quality programs and practices that promote energy efficiency, water conservation, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers selected to participate are reimbursed for the approved costs of materials up to $30,000. AEEP has funded 288 projects statewide since 1999, providing growers and producers more than $3 million to address environmental concerns on their farms. To be eligible for AEEP funds, growers' property must consist of at least five contiguous acres of land under the same ownership and be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use, have at least three acres in bog production, or have at least 5,000 square feet under greenhouse production. Aquaculture operations must possess a current valid shellfish aquaculture license. Today’s grant awardees: Jeffrey Erickson Indian Line Farm Carlson Orchards, Inc. Estate of G. Dodge Porter Bog Company Piney Wood Gary Randall Highland Cranberry Decas Cranberry Robert Leronimo Double J Farm Cotuit Oyster Great Brook Farm Pioneer Gardens ADM Cranberry, LLC Mayflower Cranberries Cross Roads Farm Portside Division Cavicchio Greenhouses Just-a-mere Tree Farm Sunbrite Farm Willows Cranberries Paul's Sugarhouse Tilson Bog Rodney Fielding W.J.M. Cranberries Red Eye Cranberry D. Fernandes Cranberries Winter Moon Farm Bar Way Farm, Inc. Harju Brothers Cranberry Inc Weston Brothers Graziano Brothers Doyle Cranberry Ragged Hill Orchard Gove Farm Cousins Cranberry, LLC Chop Chaque Atwood FIT E.L. Bartholomew Maintain Bog Bayside Agricultural Appleton Farm |
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Eight Going on Eighteen: Our Daughter and Early Puberty A few years ago, I noticed that my beautiful, vivacious seven-year-old daughter had breasts. Wasn't this a little young? She was into Harry Potter, rainbow sherbet and puppies — not bras and pads. In short order I became an expert on puberty. I talked to our pediatrician. I talked to other parents, neighbors and colleagues. I combed the Internet. And what I found out didn’t make me happy. The causes of early puberty are varied – obesity, premature birth and low birth weight, television viewing, family dysfunction, and formula feeding. But one contributing factor in particular caught my eye: exposure to everyday chemicals in our environment; specifically, endocrine disrupting chemicals. Endocrine disruptors are a class of chemicals that can mimic or block hormones in our bodies that regulate a variety of systems, including our reproductive health system. Endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals can be found in lots of everyday products – baby bottles, cleaning products, children’s toys, pesticides, and the list goes on. I was particularly distraught to find out that the water bottle my daughter took to school every day contained bisphenol A, an endocrine disrupting chemical that may contribute to early puberty. My husband tried to reassure me. So she starts to develop a little early, that’s not so bad, is it? At first, I thought he had a point. But as I continued researching, my concerns only grew. A report commissioned by the Breast Cancer Fund revealed that girls get their first periods today, on average, a few months earlier than they did 40 years ago. More shocking, they get their breasts one to two years earlier. In 30 years, onset of puberty has fallen to just under 10 years for U.S. white girls and just under nine years for black girls. As a result of my research, I made significant changes in our life. I changed our personal care products, our kitchen utensils, our water bottles, our bedding, our hand soap, shampoos and sun lotions. I got rid of most of our plastic. I learned the names of complex chemicals and acronyms such as BPA, phthalates, dioxin and PBDEs. I took several lists to the store each time I shopped. I shouldn’t need a degree in chemistry in order to shop for my children. All of the changes we made in our family life are important – but they are not enough. And that makes me mad. So now I am an advocate for chemical policy reform. Under current law, the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), the Environmental Protection Agency has only required testing on approximately 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law passed in 1976. Clearly, TSCA is not keeping our families safe. In the next few months, a bill to reform TSCA will be introduced in the Senate by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). Passage of the bill would give us back control of our health and put common sense limits on toxic chemicals. As individuals, we cannot adequately protect our children from toxic chemicals – but together we can. Elizabeth Arndorfer is an attorney and parent living in Palo Alto, California. |
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The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released the FY 2010 Request for Applications (RFA) for the Pest Management Alternatives Program (PMAP). The primary goal of the PMAP program is to provide support for the development and implementation of integrated pest management practices, tactics, and systems for specific pest problems while reducing human and environmental risks. Approximately $1.4 million will be available, with awards up to $200,000. Link to full information and the RFA at http://nifa.usda.gov/fo/pestmanagementalternatives.cfm?pg=4 ELIGIBILITY: Applications may be submitted by state agricultural experiment stations, all colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, federal agencies, private organizations or corporations, and individuals. See RFA for details. |
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The Carrot Project and Strolling of the Heifers are pleased to announce the next application deadline and an increase of the maximum loan amount to $15,000. If you know of any farmers that might be interested, please pass this information to them, post on your website, place in an e-newsletter, etc. FARMER MICROLOAN INCREASED TO $15,000 For more information, please go to www.thecarrotproject.org/farm_financing or contact Dorothy Suput at 617-666-9637 or at dsuput@thecarrotproject.org. Please let me know if you have any questions. Best, Dorothy M. Suput Sign-up for The Carrot Project’s periodic e-newsletter by sending a message to subscribe@thecarrotproject.org |
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Ch. 61B an Excellent Fit for Many Landowners Ch. 61B offers a great opportunity for landowners to reduce their property taxes while meeting their landowner objectives and keeping future management options open. |
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Group: Patrick's stance will halt NRG Energy's Somerset plant Somerset — |
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CLF Welcomes the Country's First Ocean Management Plan
CLF has long advocated for comprehensive ocean management planning as the way to balance protection of vulnerable marine wildlife and habitat with responsible ocean uses, such as wind energy development. The Massachusetts Plan represents a critical first building block for the Obama Administration’s effort to develop a National Ocean Policy built around regional ocean management plans. Dr. Priscilla Brooks, Director of Conservation Law Foundation’s Ocean Conservation Program, called the plan a milestone for Massachusetts and the country: “Our state’s ocean waters are a critical source of jobs, food, recreation, transportation and energy development, and are under increasing pressure from competing economic interests, not to mention the patchwork of agencies and laws that govern these strategic resources. With the Massachusetts Oceans Act of 2008 and now this sweeping plan to implement it, the Commonwealth has shown the way forward to other ocean and Great Lakes states and the need to act affirmatively and aggressively to protect and manage their marine resources.” Dr. Brooks was quoted in news stories from coast to coast commenting on the Plan. Check out this local coverage from the Cape Cod Times. |
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New England and Mid-Atlantic States to Look at Low Carbon Fuel Standard
The LCFS is a market-based, technology-neutral policy requiring gradual reductions in the carbon content of fuel. An LCFS will promote a regional market for cleaner alternative fuels, delivering greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, local economic development, and technological innovation. California was the first state to adopt an LCFS in April 2009, requiring all distributors of transportation fuels to achieve 10% lower carbon intensity by 2020. CLF and other environmental advocacy organizations have joined other stakeholders in urging the governors to move with greater urgency, developing a program framework by the end of 2010 and committing to a 10% reduction in the carbon intensity of fuels. While the MOU stops short of laying out a program framework with specific targets, the groups see the MOU as a step forward, reaffirming and elevating the states’ commitment to implement a regional LCFS. “Clean alternative fuels have the potential to be an economic engine in the Northeast while addressing the threat of climate change,” said CLF Senior Attorney Sue Reid in a press release. “We need to adopt policies such as the LCFS that discourage high carbon fuels like tar sands and build markets for new, cleaner fuels, with meaningful choices for consumers. We are encouraged by the governors’ commitment to move forward,” Reid added. |
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Copenhagen in Perspective As the dust settles after the turbulent outcome of the COP-15 climate summit in Copenhagen a few things are clear: No one is completely happy with the outcome. Even President Obama described what he hammered out as being a “first step” and “not enough” to avoid disaster describing the Accord he worked out as the beginning of a process. The climate change denier community (and people playing that role in the US, Europe, Israel, etc… should be very nervous about the fact they are in close alliance with Saudia Arabia) must be upset at the reaffirmation that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced in order to avoid dangerous global warming - a conclusion that relies upon the mountain of science showing that global warming is very real and very dangerous. Other important voices like Bill McKibben see this change in the process and nature of climate negotiations as a disaster - part of a complete collapse of political and moral will by a President and Administration that should know better. A related perspective is the view that the Copenhagen outcome shows that the “the elites are not up to the job of saving the world.” Follow the links in that last piece if you want to see some really terrifying analysis of the world that we are headed to if only current pledges and agreements for emissions reductions are met. To hear these two different interpretations collide check out McKibben and Doniger on the “On Point” public radio show on December 22, 2009. And what Andrew Revkin calls the “Copenhagen blame game” is now a full scale global enterprise. With British Columnist George Monbiot blaming the US (and President Obama) personally, Chinese and British officials savagely attacking each other in the press on the question of China’s role at Copenhagen and officials of the European Union laying blame on the developing nations and the US. So what do we know and what should we (those of us not playing in the titanic global climate game) do? The answer for CLF is clear. We need to continue with our work to make New England, the region in which we work, a replicable model of real and affirmative change for the better. We need to purge our electricity system of old, high emissions coal fired power plants, we need to fight to make highly efficient use of energy in homes and buildings, we need to ensure that our forests are healthy and do their many jobs, including capturing carbon out of the air, and we need to foster clean effective transit and massive deployment of renewable energy. Our goals are right out there for all to see as is the way in which you can support our work. Clearly there is a powerful need for global and national action to protect our climate. And while those epic struggles play out, and we do what we can to shape the outcome, we must not waver in our resolve to advance a climate protection agenda here in our region, our states and in our communities. We can argue about how far we have come - but it is very clear that we have far to go. |
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Memorandum from Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator to All EPA Employees Colleagues: |
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The DAR's mission is to ensure the long-term viability of local agriculture in Massachusetts. Through its four divisions - Agricultural Development, Animal Health, Crop and Pest Services, and Technical Assistance - the DAR strives to support, regulate, and enhance the Commonwealth's agricultural community, working to promote economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures, and fulfill agriculture's role in energy conservation and production.
Massachusetts made history on the first business day of the New Year with the release of its comprehensive 
On December 30, eleven Northeast and mid-Atlantic states took another step toward reducing the region’s dangerous dependence on oil and fostering the growth of clean fuel alternatives when their governors signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a mandatory, multi-state Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).