The BEAT News

March 3, 2011

In the News

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Environmental Monitor
Public Notices Alphabetically by town
The BEAT News Archives

Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators)

DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire
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GE donations to river group stir controversy, Critics see attempt to sway Housatonic River cleanup

By Beth Daley Globe Staff / February 27, 2011

The Facebook page popped onto the Web last month, pushing a controversial position on the PCB-poisoned Housatonic River in Western Massachusetts: cleaning it too thoroughly may actually harm the environment more.

Missing from the webpage of the Smart Clean-up Coalition was any explanation of the group’s origins or members. So a skeptical river advocate asked whether the group took money from General Electric, the company responsible for both the contamination and the cleanup — and another champion of a less aggressive approach.

“No,’’ the Smart Clean-up Coalition responded on the page. “We have no association with GE.’’

But they do. The coalition is an initiative of 1Berkshire, an economic development alliance that has received $300,000 from General Electric Co. in recent months, the group has since acknowledged.

Over the past two weeks, the alliance has given an evolving explanation for not disclosing its relationship with GE upfront. Both the group and GE  insist the money had nothing to do with the creation of the Facebook page or the group’s position that an aggressive cleanup — which would include dredging, riverbank excavation, and truck traffic — could have the unintended effect of harming ecologically sensitive areas and  tourism. ...

But three people associated with the  alliance, two of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they  feared professional harm if they spoke openly, said there was no real discussion about such a political and controversial stance before the  webpage appeared. Eugenie Sills resigned Thursday from the board of Berkshire Creative Economy Council, one of 1Berkshire’s alliance members, over the issue.

“What once seemed like a good idea — a strategic alliance of the Berkshires’ economic development entities which would benefit all stakeholders — has turned into an embarrassment,’’ Sills, founder and publisher of The Women’s Times, said in a statement. The “lack of transparency and  outright misrepresentation around the issue of the Housatonic River cleanup have led many to wonder whose agenda is really being served . . . the leadership of these organizations should be facilitating the process, rather than obscuring it.’’ ...

“For Berkshire County there is such emotional and historic baggage associated with GE . . . the cleanup of  the Housatonic River even considered in isolation of any of that is a  tremendously complicated issue,’’ said Tad Ames of the Berkshire Natural  Resources Council. “From a political point of view to have GE being involved not just as the responsible party but somehow seen as wielding invisible influence is unfortunate and not at all constructive.’’

You can read the full article here on the Boston Globe's website.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/02/27/ge_donations_to_river_group_stir_controversy/?page=full
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Public Comments on GE's Revised CMS Now Available on the Web

Here's the web link to the Informal Public Comments on GE's Revised CMS:

http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/restofriver/reports/cms/477441.pdf

You may notice a glitch or two where comments appear to be in duplicative locations or under the incorrect bookmark.  We are working to resolve a number of minor issues with the posting.

Please contact me with any questions.

Thanks.

Jim Murphy
EPA New England - Region 1
Office  of the Regional Administrator / Public Affairs
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code ORA 20-1
Boston, MA 02109-3912
617-918-1028 (phone)
617-721-2868 (cell phone)
617-918-0028 (fax)
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Announcing: Bright green environmental study group starting in Lenox! Everyone welcome!

This group is for everybody who’s feeling the urge to find new ways to understand and find solutions for our global predicaments. Join us for a bright green environmental study group! With the urgency of climate change increasing by the day, we definitely need a bold new approach to environmental problems and solutions. We are forming a regular study group of exploration. While we certainly have come a long way towards sustainability, a new school of environmental thinkers, entrepreneurs, and activists—referred to frequently as “bright green”—are beginning to question the very foundation of many long-held ecological ideas. They’re suggesting that as important as the impulse to preserve and protect the environment from human destruction has been, the next stage of environmentalism will require a new embrace of its traditional foes: technology, innovation, and the drive towards human progress.

We've found a fantastic ‘curriculum’ of readings and audios that can give us direction in our exploration. This group of thinkers includes WorldChanging’s Alex Steffen, Cradle to Cradle’s Michael Braungart, futurist Ray Kurtzweil, British sustainability strategist Hardin Tibbs, and more. I’m thinking to meet every two weeks, and I’m suggesting Thursdays, from 6-7:30pm, or perhaps Thursdays, from 8-9:15am, meeting at the Lenox Town Hall .

Please write to Susan Olshuff at saustown@aol.com with your interest, and she’ll tell you more about this exciting curriculum which can be the beginning of our discussions. Be sure to tell her if either of these times works for you. (If not, tell her what would work, in case many people are not able to make these times). It’d be great to start by mid-March. (There will be a fee only for materials)

So jump on board. Start your spring time off with pushing into something new!

For more information: Contact Susan Olshuff, saustown@aol.com, 413-637-2643.
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In the News: ELM's Green Budget  
From the Environmental League of Massachusetts Bulletin

Mass Environmental Spending Continues to Slide
From the Boston Globe 
Beth Daley
February 17, 2011

State environmental spending is now less than one percent of the total Massachusetts budget, a troubling low for a state that has long prided itself on its environmental innovations and protections, a new analysis shows.

The Environmental League of Massachusetts, a group of 40 environmental organizations, says that budget cuts stemming in large part from the financial crisis have shrunk the fiscal year 2012 environmental budget to less than .6 percent, or $178.5 million.

"Environmental budgets have taken disproportionate cuts and state agencies are now in danger of becoming dysfunctional," said George Bachrach, president of the Environment League. He said lag times in permitting and cleaning up polluted sites for future development could slow economic recovery. And if the state can't protect rivers and beaches, "we risk the jobs of our $14 billion tourism industry and the quality of life that attracts corporate leaders..."

To view the full article, go here.
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America's Great Outdoors
from Mass Audubon's Beacon Hill Weekly Update

President Obama has announced an action plan under the America’s Great Outdoors initiative for conservation of outdoor spaces throughout the US. The initiative aims to revise conservation methods and reconnect Americans with the outdoors. The new report outlines ways the federal government will help communities accomplish their conservation and recreation goals, and is based on input from over 50 public listening sessions across the US. Mass Audubon president Laura Johnson also participated in a conference call with the Department of the Interior on this important initiative. Some of the newly released goals include:

  • Developing more parks and green spaces for children
  • The reinvestment of revenues from oil and gas extraction into the permanent protection of parks, open spaces, wildlife habitat, and access for recreational activities
  • Establishing a Conservation Service Corps to engage youth in public lands and water restoration

The full report is available at: http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/.

National wildlife refuge logoSimilarly, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced a draft 10-year plan for management of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The draft document, titled Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation includes nearly 100 management recommendations and was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Wildlife Refuge Association. Among the draft vision’s recommendations are:

  • To engage youth in work and volunteer programs
  • To develop a five-year plan to “green” the Refuge System
  • To develop standards for credibility, efficiency and consistent application of science in planning and management

The draft plan is available for public comment until Earth Day, April 22, 2011. For more information visit: http://americaswildlife.org.

Learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge System at http://www.fws.gov/refuges.
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Free Educator/Team Leader Workshop: The Junior Solar Sprint Experience

In conjunction with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), CET is hosting a Junior Solar Sprint workshop Tuesday, March 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield .  The workshop is designed to prepare teachers and non-formal educators in leading middle school students through the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) experience.

Since 1999, CET has organized the Berkshire Area JSS, a highly engaging and successful program where students design, build and enter their model solar electric cars in a friendly competition with other middle school students. These young engineers have a hands-on opportunity to deepen their understanding about solar energy, math, physical science and craftsmanship.

Teams enter their cars in the Berkshire area JSS design and race event on June 4, where top winners are invited to NESEA's annual northeast championship in Springfield , MA to compete against students from Maine to Maryland .

At the workshop participants will receive:

  • A basic parts model solar car kit donated by Pitsco and hands-on building practice
  • JSS educator resources including lesson plans and area event information
  • Information on the Berkshire Area JSS event
  • A chance at door prizes including a model car solar panel
  • Professional development points/credits for hours attending workshop

Registration is required.  Sign up on the events page for the workshop at www.cetonline.org

For more information, contact CET at 413-445-4556 ext. 25.

CET is a non-profit energy and resource conservation organization serving western Massachusetts for over 30 years.  CET receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.  CET is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. 
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State-Run Recycling: Welfare for Waste
February 17th, 2011
by Guy Crittenden

According to the Athens, Georgia-based Product Policy Institute (PPI), Maine’s new Governor Paul LePage (R) is proposing to keep state recycling programs on the dole, and cut fee-based take-back programs paid for by manufacturers and their customers to recycle or safely dispose of certain kinds of waste.

The development is significant for people interested in end-of-life management of products and packaging, and who pays for it. The PPI think tank has long advocated for the replacement of inefficient municipal curbside recycling programs (that have hit a plateau for certain materials like used beverage containers) with fee-based “product stewardship” programs operated or overseen by manufacturers and brand owners.

… In these so-called product stewardship programs (sometimes also referred to as “extended producer responsibility” or EPR), the materials are kept separate from the waste stream, and the recycling is paid for by manufacturers themselves or via recycling fees charged at the point of purchase. Like the deposit-refund systems for beverage containers in “bottle bill” states, well-crafted product stewardship programs (proponents say) are highly successful in keeping certain products and packaging out of landfills and away from incinerators. Because it represents a cost to them, the programs create an incentive for manufacturers to redesign their products for ease of reuse or recycling, something that’s missing in ratepayer funded recycling and disposal schemes. <Read the rest of this article>
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Join the Task Force on Building Organic Waste Capacity in Massachusetts

Please consider joining a new Task Force sponsored by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to examine opportunities and challenges related to siting new facilities that will manage organic material diverted from waste in Massachusetts, and to recommend actions that the Commonwealth can take to ease the development process for these facilities.  The Task Force will hold its first meeting on Friday, March 4, 2011, starting at 9:30 AM in Conference Rooms 1-3 on the 21st floor of the McCormack State Office Building at One Ashburton Place, Boston. Please note that these meetings are open to the public, but MassDEP is requesting that you notify us at dep.recycle@state.ma.us if you plan to attend. 

This Task Force will build on a number of earlier discussions about facilitating the development of new organics capacity and recycling facilities that led to the inclusion of aggressive goals for increasing the diversion of materials from waste to more productive uses in the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Master Plan, and in a variety of other forums.  The Task Force’s charge is described below.  An agenda for the first meeting will be posted on MassDEP’s web site in the next week.  We will email you to let you know when it is available.

We anticipate that the Task Force will meet three times between March 4 and early May to develop specific recommendations for overcoming challenges and capitalizing on opportunities to significantly increase our organics capacity in Massachusetts, and doing so in an environmentally sound way.  We also hope that you will continue to provide advice as our agencies develop strategies to implement these recommendations.
The Task Force will be chaired by James Colman, Assistant Commissioner of MassDEP’s Bureau of Waste Prevention.  Other agencies will also participate in the discussions:  the Department of Energy Resources, the Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The recommendations of this Task Force will help us achieve a number of goals that are important for both our environment and our “clean energy” economy.  Please reply to this email address (dep.recycle@state.ma.us) to let us know whether you can attend the Task Force’s first meeting. 

Sincerely,
David Cash                                                                                            Kenneth L. Kimmell
Undersecretary for Policy                                                                      Commissioner
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs                               Department of Environmental Protection                                                                                                                                                        

Task Force Charge
Building Organics Capacity in Massachusetts

Introduction:  The draft 2010-2020 Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan sets goals of reducing the quantity of waste disposed of by 30% (2 million tons) by 2020, and by 80% (5.2 million tons) by 2050.  The Plan also sets a sub-goal for 2020 of diverting an additional 350,000 tons of organic material from disposal by that year, over the 650,000 tons that were diverted in 2009. Meeting this goal will require significant increases in in-state capacity at anaerobic digestion, composting, and recycling facilities. 

These aggressive targets are consistent with the recently released Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020. Achieving the goals of both of these Plans will produce important environmental benefits.  An expansion of in-state recycling/processing capacity will also create jobs and economic development opportunities.  Expanding in-state capacity to process diverted organic material will have important co-benefits for Massachusetts farms and will help anaerobic digestors at MA wastewater treatment plants operate more efficiently and economically.  

Task Force Charge

  • Review and update the list of barriers to advancing anaerobic digestion, composting and recycling capacity in Massachusetts and the list of opportunities for advancing this capacity that were identified by Solid Waste Master Plan discussion groups in Spring 2009.
  • Develop guiding implementation principles to ensure that a) there is appropriate public participation in the siting process, and b) facilities are designed, constructed, and operated in a manner which protects public health and the environment.
  • Recommend specific actions that can be undertaken to overcome these barriers and take advantage of these opportunities, and identify the entities that should be charged with implementation.

The Task Force recommendations will identify what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and how each action should be structured.  As the appropriate state agencies implement these recommendations, participants are strongly encouraged to continue to stay involved and provide review and advice.

Background:  During the past two years, MassDEP has held a number of discussions on these issues, including Organics Summit conference sessions, three Solid Waste Master Plan workgroup meetings on “Eliminating Barriers to Siting Waste Diversion Facilities”, and public comment on the Draft Solid Waste Master Plan.  While there was considerable support at these meetings for increasing in-state capacity to handle organic material that is diverted from the waste stream, many concerns were identified.  A summary of these discussions is available on the MassDEP web site:  http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/swmpwkgp.htm, scroll down to “Siting Waste Diversion Facilities Workgroup”.

This Task Force is a joint effort of several agencies in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs:  the Department of Agricultural Resources, the Department of Energy Resources, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will also participate.
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Berkshire Grown looking for Outreach Associate Intern.
 
The Outreach Associate will visit local farmers, food producers and food buyers throughout the Berkshires to document how Berkshire Grown’s services are helping them to strengthen local agriculture and to learn what they need to strengthen the Farm to Table network, and to increase sales of local agriculture. The interns will be the “face” of Berkshire Grown, and write reports after each visit as well as write descriptions of members to be posted on the BG website and FB pages.

The Social Media Associate will post the information on Facebook, the BG website as well as analyze the impact of BG’s web presence. She will post information gathered with the Outreach Associate from visits to farmers, food producers and food buyers. She will be responsible for tracking traffic on the website, from the e-newsletter to Facebook, and regularly providing reports to the Director with analysis and suggestions for improvement.

Interns must have excellent written and verbal communication skills; as well as organizational skills and the ability to juggle several tasks while meeting deadlines. Interns must be self-motivated, capable of working alone as well as able to follow directions and become a productive member of a team. The internship requires individuals who enjoy conversing with farmers, food producers and food buyers. The intern must share a commitment to supporting local food and farms and able to meet the timeframe of the internship. A car and the ability to travel throughout the Berkshires is also required. Internship will be approximately 10 – 20 hours a week.

  • How to apply: Please submit a resume and a letter describing your experience and why you want this opportunity in addition to three references to P.O. Box 983, Great Barrington, MA 01230.
  • Deadline March 18, 2011
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State Announces Clean Energy Internships
from Mass Audubon's Beacon Hill Weekly Update

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the New England Clean Energy Council will provide up to 50 college students and recent graduates with paid internships this summer. The new $300,000 program will link students with companies in the clean energy sector that state government is subsidizing and looking to grow.
For more information visit: www.cleanenergyeducation.org.
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