The BEAT News

March 18, 2009

In the News

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Environmental Monitor
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The BEAT News Archives

Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators)

DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire

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Additional 604b Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program Funding under ARRA

With passage of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (ARRA), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) anticipates receipt of an additional $533,605 dollars for the 604(b) competitive grant program. As with previous 604(b) program funds received, the Department will focus the ARRA funds towards watershed or subwatershed based point and nonpoint source assessment-type grant projects leading to the: 1) determination of the nature, extent and causes of water quality problems; 2) assessment of impacts and determination of effluent limitations necessary to meet water quality standards; 3) Green infrastructure projects that manage wet weather to maintain or restore natural hydrology; and 4) development of implementation plans that will address water quality impairments.  MassDEP is seeking project proposals in the $50,000 to $100,000 range that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for BMPs to address these problems.
We are planning to hold two pre-RFR meetings, one in Worcester on Wednesday, March 18th, to be held concurrently with the 319 NPS pre-RFR meeting from 10 am to Noon, and a second meeting in the Boston DEP office, One Winter Street, 2nd Floor, on Friday, March 20th, from 10am to Noon.

We will post the notice of the pre-RFR meetings on CommPass soon. We expect to release the RFR for the ARRA grants in early April with proposals due in mid-May.
See also info sheet appended to the bottom of this message
__________________________________________________
Gary Gonyea
Environmental Analyst
Watershed Project Development Program
(617) 556-1152
(617) 292-5850 (FAX)
---------------------------
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
604(B) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Laurie Burt, Commissioner
Bureau of Resource Protection
Division of Municipal Services, Steven J. McCurdy, Director
Upcoming Grant Opportunity
March 2009

With passage of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (ARRA), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) anticipates receipt of an additional $533,605 dollars for the 604(b) competitive grant program. As with previous 604(b) program funds received, the Department will focus the ARRA funds towards watershed or subwatershed based point and nonpoint source assessment-type grant projects leading to the: 1) determination of the nature, extent and causes of water quality problems; 2) assessment of impacts and determination of effluent limitations necessary to meet water quality standards; 3) Green infrastructure projects that manage wet weather to maintain or restore natural hydrology; and 4) development of implementation plans that will address water quality impairments.  MassDEP is seeking project proposals in the $50,000 to $100,000 range that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for BMPs to address these problems.

Eligibility
The grant recipient must be a regional public comprehensive planning organizations or interstate organization such as: regional planning agencies, councils of governments, conservation districts, counties, cities and towns, and other substate public planning agencies and interstate agencies.  No local match is required, however, providing additional local funds or in-kind cost sharing as a demonstration of local support may enhance proposals.

Eligible Projects
Generally, the following types of assessment/planning projects that focus on watershed or sub-watershed based nonpoint source assessment efforts will be considered for funding. 

  • Water Quality Assessment -Identification and characterization of a specific nonpoint source pollution problem site or resource of particular concern via water quality sampling. Results used to develop recommendations for BMP implementation projects and management strategies consistent with the Department’s policies and programs.
  • Green Infrastructure – Development of projects that manage wet weather to maintain or restore natural hydrology by infiltrating, evapotranspiring, capturing and using stormwater.
  • Assessment of Land use Activities -Identification and mapping of current land use activities within a river basin or drainage area, including known and potential sources of point and nonpoint pollution and permitted water withdrawals and discharges.
  • Water Supply/Water Quality Source Protection Planning -Development of water supply planning and protection strategies for communities with public water supplies within a sub-basin. These strategies could include development of BMPs to address potential sources of contamination to public water supplies identified in MassDEP SWAP reports.
  • Wetlands Assessment and Restoration Planning -Identification and planning for potential wetlands restoration projects.
  • Assessment of Local Water Quality Protection Measures -Analyses of the range and effective ness of local control measures such as bylaws, regulations, and enforcement provisions within a river basin or drainage area.
  • Development of implementation plans - Including conceptual drawings and engineering studies, which can be submitted for funding to other grant sources and that will lead to remediation of water quality impairments and restoration of beneficial uses.

Background
The Department will use the ARRA 604(b) monies to fund nonpoint source pollution assessment activities in basins statewide pursuant to the five-year basin schedule, the Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan, the Massachusetts Watershed-based Plan, and assessment work identified in EOEEA’s Watershed Action Plans developed for each major watershed.

MassDEP assessment and data needs are identified in:
 - the Massachusetts Watershed based plans (http://public.dep.state.ma.us/Watershed/Intro.aspx),
 - the EOEEA watershed action plans (http://www.mass.gov/envir/water/publications.html),
 - the Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan (www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/nonpoint.htm), and

Mass DEP encourages Respondents to propose other suitable water quality assessment/planning projects that will lead to direct actions by Municipalities and others to implement water quality improvements. Projects that target Category 4a and Category 5 waters listed in the Massachusetts Year 2006 Integrated List of Waters (http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/tmdls.htm) or that will address potential sources of contamination of public water supplies identified in MassDEP SWAP reports (http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/swapreps.htm) may be awarded additional points.  

Application Process
A Request for Responses (RFR) will be issued by MassDEP in April for competitive projects with proposals due approximately six weeks later. The RFR contains a schedule for each step of the applica tion process.

The proposals will be evaluated by the Department and selected proposal awards will be announced within two months following the proposal submission deadline. Contract development will be expected to begin as soon as possible after the date of selection by the Department.  All projects funded under the Economic Stimulus bill must be completed within two years of receipt of contract.
Minimum Evaluation Criteria
Consideration is given to:

  • well thought out projects which support EOEEA basin-wide water quality management activities;
  • extent to which the project, scope of services and targeted watersheds would further the Department’s water quality management priorities or other suitable water quality management goals;
  • extent to which the performance-based objectives are well defined, feasible, practical, cost-effective, and have measurable results; and
  • likelihood of success of the project, including usefulness of assessment or planning actions, and proposed implementation strategies.

Contact:
Gary Gonyea,
Department of Environmental Protection,
One Winter Street, 6th Floor,
Boston, MA 02108
to obtain additional program information or a copy of the 604(b) RFR. Email: gary.gonyea@state.ma.us
Telephone: (617) 556- 1152.

Indicative Summaries of past 604(b) projects can be seen at http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/grants.htm#guides.

A publication of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Resource Protection
One Winter Street, Boston, MA  02108

This information is available in alternate format upon request by contacting the ADA Coordinator at 617-574-6872.

The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.
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For specifics on the flood plain easement (FPE) grant program in Massachusetts, you can contact Carl Gustafson at (413) 253-4362 or carl.gustafson@ma.usda.gov, or contact your local USDA Service Center (click here for locations in Mass.)

AMHERST, Mass. (March 13, 2009) – Massachusetts landowners with land in flood-prone areas may apply for assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS will provide up to $145 million nationwide to eligible landowners through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. The funds will be used to restore an estimated 60,000 acres of frequently flooded land in the U.S. to its natural state and create jobs.

Eligible landowners can sign up for these easements through March 27, 2009 at their local USDA Service Center (click here for link to service centers in Mass.). USDA service center locations are listed on-line at http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information about EWP Program floodplain easements, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/Floodplain/index.html.

“We will be working with landowners in rural communities who voluntarily agree to restore the floodplains to their natural condition by placing their land into easements,” said Christine Clarke, NRCS Massachusetts State Conservationist. “These easements will convert environmentally sensitive lands into riparian corridors and wooded bottomlands that are so vital for fish and wildlife habitat and to mitigate downstream flooding.”
Jobs can be created in the engineering, biology and construction fields when landowners establish conservation practices to plant trees and native grasses and restore the hydrology of the floodplain on the land entered into easement, said Clarke.
The funding, obtained from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes both technical and financial assistance. The goal is to have all floodplain easements acquired and restored within 12-18 months. No more than $30 million can be spent in any one state.

The EWP Program’s floodplain easement component allows NRCS to purchase easements on lands damaged by flooding. The restored floodplain will generate many public benefits, such as increased flood protection, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, improved water quality, increased carbon sequestration as permanent vegetative cover is re-established, and a reduced need for future public disaster assistance.
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The Changing Politics of Organic Farming and more

From the Rodale Institute web update newsletter. In this update, written amidst the background of national changes, we look at:

Why Jeff Moyer, farm director at the Rodale Institute, is willing to work at hammering out a sustainability standard for agriculture with industrial ag leaders, when most organic and community food-security groups are not. Read more >>

How a mixture of organic farms in the Northeastern United States looked to a visiting Danish agricultural journalist. Hint: He was impressed with dairy breeding and weed management, but felt that nutrient accounting was quite lax compared to the rules back home. Read more >>
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Toxic Tub
From the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow


Babies across America are sitting in bubbles tainted with cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins linked to serious health effects. Many of the contaminated products are advertised as "gentle," "pure" or "naturally refreshing."

Read the new Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report Toxic Tub for all the details, but this is the quick and dirty version: We sent unopened bubble bath, baby lotion and other products intended for babies and children, purchased in cities across the U.S., to an independent lab to be tested for 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde. Both chemicals are contaminants that do not appear on product labels, and both are carcinogenic; formaldehyde can also trigger rashes in those with sensitive skin.

The lab tested 48 kids' products for 1,4-dioxane and found it in 67 percent of the products. Of the 28 products tested for formaldehyde, 82 percent were positive. Seventeen products were contaminated with both 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde.
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea baby wash, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel, and even the iconic Johnson's Baby Shampoo were among the products that contained both of these toxic contaminants.

We know that cosmetics can be made without hazardous ingredients and contaminants. So what's going on? How is it legal for companies to sell baby and kids' skincare products that contain toxic chemicals used in embalming fluid, fumigants and automotive coolant? Worse yet, these chemicals aren't even on the label, so even the most ingredient-conscious parents wouldn't know whether the product is safe.

This is just one more reason that we need the Safer Alternatives Bill to pass in Massachusetts.

124 Massachusetts legislators co-sponsored the bill this session. From the Berkshires only Denis Guyer made this list. Please, contact Representative Guyer and thank him to make sure he keeps it as a top priority.

75 Massachusetts legislators did not co-sponsor. The other Berkshire legislators need to hear from you now to get them on board! The others are bowing to pressure from a corporate lobbyist who used to be a legislator here in the Berkshires. Please let them know how you feel about this!!!

Either way, contact your legislators! Share this new information with them as motivation to pass the bill this session.

Contact your State legislators to urge them to pass the Safer Alternatives bill.

Adapted from an alert by Elizabeth Saunders
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Secretary Bowles at BRPC to discuss Renewable Energy on State-owned Lands

Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles will attend a meeting of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) on Thursday, March 19 at 5pm. at the BRPC 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1 Fenn Street, Pittsfield, MA, to talk about “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Potential at State-owned Facilities and Lands” (5:20-6:20).

Secretary Bowles will discuss the very recent report on “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Potential at State-owned Facilities and Lands”.  The Agenda for this meeting says, “As the largest property owner in Berkshire County, with very prominent land holdings and facilities in almost every community, the State’s actions to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on its own properties have significant interest across the entire region.”

This is a public meeting, but not a public hearing, so the public may attend, but may not be allowed to speak or may have very limited time to speak. Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will videotape the meeting to air on Pittsfield Community Television and, if possible, other community television stations in western Massachusetts.
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Comment Period on GE's Response to EPA re:Housatonic River

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a 30-day Informal
Public Input Period on GE's Response to EPA's comments on GE's
Corrective Measures Study (CMS) for the Housatonic River Site, Rest of
River.  EPA will  accept public comments beginning today, March 16,
through April 16, 2009.  

Web location of the relevant documents:

GE's Response to EPA's comments on the CMS Report is on the EPA website
at   http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/restofriver-reports.html#CMS,
under
Related Correspondence
Letter (with enclosure) from Silfer (GE) to Svirsky (USEPA),
March 6, 2009, Re: Rest of River; Response to EPA's Interim
Comments on Corrective Measures Study Report (PDF)
Tables (PDF).
Figures (PDF)

Comments may be submitted to me by mail, email or fax:

Jim Murphy (murphy.jim@epa.gov), EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
c/o Weston Solutions
10 Lyman Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you.

Jim Murphy
United States Environmental Protection Agency
New England - Region 1
Office  of the Regional Administrator
1 Congress Street Suite 1100 (RAA)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
617-918-1028 (phone)
617-721-2868 (cell phone)
617-918-0028 (fax)
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Federal Conservation Programs Workshop for Farm and Forest Land Owners

The Berkshire Conservation District will host an informational workshop
on federal conservation programs available through the 2008 Farm Bill on
Thursday, March 26, 2009 7pm at the KB Building, 100 West St.
Pittsfield, MA.  Local farmers, forest land owners and other interested
parties are invited to attend the workshop, which will be held in
partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Conservation district and NRCS representatives will be on-hand to
explain how landowners can get financial and technical assistance from
NRCS through the recently passed Farm Bill (the Food, Conservation, and
Energy Act of 2008) to promote environmental quality on farmland and
forest land. New provisions in the legislation simplify existing
programs and create new programs to address high priority environmental
protection goals such as pollinator habitat, wildlife and energy.

For more information on the workshop or if you plan to attend and
require special accommodation, please contact Deb Burke at 413-443-1776
x102 or deborah.burke@ma.usda.gov.

Sign-up is underway for federal conservation programs and, although
applications may be submitted at any time, May 1, 2009 is the cut-off
date for the first round of ranking and funding in Massachusetts.
Landowners are urged to contact their local NRCS office soon to begin
the conservation planning process, the first step in applying for
federal programs.

USDA service center locations are listed on-line at
http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government,
U.S. Department of Agriculture. General program information is available
on the NRCS Massachusetts website at www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov.

Among the voluntary conservation programs authorized in the 2008 Farm
Bill are:
*          Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) - EQIP helps
farmers and forest landowners address water quality, water conservation,
invasive species control, soil quality, erosion control, nutrient and
pest management, residue management, irrigation efficiency, energy
conservation, air quality and other natural resource concerns.

*          Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) - WHIP provides
assistance to landowners who want to improve fish and wildlife habitat
or restore natural ecosystems on their land.

*          Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) - WRP offers an opportunity for
landowners to voluntarily protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their
property.

*          Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) - AMA helps farmers
adopt conservation practices and investment strategies that will reduce
or mitigate risks to their agricultural enterprises. In Massachusetts,
cost-share is available to producers for drought mitigation. 

*          Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP) - GRP is a voluntary program
offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance
grasslands on their property.

The 2008 Farm Bill provides additional incentives for landowners who are
beginning, have limited resources, or who are socially disadvantaged
because they belong to racial or ethnic groups that have historically
been subjected to prejudice. Such landowners can receive up to 90
percent of the costs associated with planning and implementing
conservation measures and up to 30 percent of expected costs may be
provided in advance.

The Berkshire Conservation District is one of 14 conservation districts
in Massachusetts that work with NRCS to identify and address natural
resource concerns and establish priorities for conservation projects and
provide education and technical assistance to their communities. A
division of state government, each district is governed by a board of
locally elected citizens who volunteer their time and leadership.

NRCS has offices in Greenfield, Hadley, Holden, Hyannis, Pittsfield,
Westford, and West Wareham, which work with local conservation districts
and other partners to serve farmers and landowners throughout the
commonwealth.

# # #

Deb Burke
District Administrator
Berkshire Conservation District
78 Center St. Suite 206
Pittsfield, MA 01201
www.berkshireconservation.org
413-443-1776 X102
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