The BEAT News

November 9, 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

Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org

return to list of articles

Local Tar Sands Action -11/12

Concerned about climate change? Curious about the Keystone XL pipeline and the Canadian tar sands? Come learn more at an informal rally and protest against the pipeline this Saturday, November 12, between 10 and 11 am, at Field Park in Williamstown (the large traffic circle at the intersection of Routes 2 & 7). Contact person: Anne O'Connor, anne@lolalux.com , 413 242 4054. Thank you!! Anne

return to list of articles

EPA Announces Final Study Plan to Assess Hydraulic Fracturing: Congressionally Directed Study Will Evaluate Potential Impacts on Drinking Water

EPA announced its final research plan on hydraulic fracturing. At the request of Congress, EPA is working to better understand potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Natural gas plays a key role in the nation?s clean energy future and the Obama Administration is committed to ensuring continued responsible leveraging of this vital resource.

The final study plan looks at the full cycle of water in hydraulic fracturing, from the acquisition of the water, through the mixing of chemicals and actual fracturing, to the post-fracturing stage, including the management of flowback and produced or used water as well as its ultimate treatment and disposal.

This study is in line with the priorities identified in the president?s Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future, and is consistent with the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board recommendations on steps to support the safe development of natural gas resources.

The initial research results and study findings will be released to the public in 2012. The final report will be delivered in 2014.

More information: www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing

return to list of articles

Massachusetts DEP Extends Comment Deadline

In response to several requests, and in light of the snow storm that has left many people in the Commonwealth without power for extended periods of time, MassDEP is extending the deadline for submitting comments on the Commissioner's Draft Action Plan for Regulatory Reform at MassDEP until December 5, 2011. Please notify anyone who may be interested of this change to the comment deadline. The instructions for submitting comments remain the same and are provided in the email below.

As many of you know, in April 2011 MassDEP launched a Regulatory Reform Initiative. Through the spring and summer, the agency has been soliciting input from a broad range of stakeholders on possible changes to how it conducts its programs in order to reduce staff time spent while maintaining its high standards for protection of the environment and public health. The resulting Draft Action Plan for Regulatory Reform at MassDEP is now available for public comment until Monday, November 21, 2011.

http://www.mass.gov/dep/about/priorities/regreform.htm

Background:

In the last nine years, MassDEP has been subject to significant cuts in both budget and workforce. In 2002, the agency had an annual budget of $62 million and 1,200 full time staff. This year, MassDEP’s budget is $45.5 million with a full-time staffing level of 840 - a budget reduction of 25 percent and a personnel cut of 30 percent. During the same period, the state and federal rules which MassDEP is tasked to implement have continued to grow. The result is a workload-resource imbalance that is no longer manageable.
In response, Commissioner Kimmell directed MassDEP to undertake three high-level initiatives to restore alignment between resources and work. These are: 1) pursuing major information technology upgrades to increase automation and effectiveness of agency activities; 2) organizational restructuring to maximize efficiency; and 3) identifying regulatory approaches to streamline MassDEP’s processes and procedures.

When he launched the regulatory reform initiative, Commissioner Kimmell’s Scope of Work established the following principles and guidelines : A) Recommended reforms should not weaken or undermine environmental protection standards in any way; B) All of MassDEP’s programs should be considered as potential candidates for regulatory or permitting reforms; C) Recommended regulatory or permitting changes should be aimed primarily at helping MassDEP manage its responsibilities within our current staffing levels; D) Reforms should prioritize regulatory provisions within the agency’s control and discretion, and should not rely on changes to state or federal law; and E) Reforms should not transfer new responsibilities to municipalities, as our cities and towns also are strained by budget decreases.

http://www.mass.gov/dep/about/regrefin.htm

Since April 2011, MassDEP has been soliciting regulatory reform ideas from a wide array of external stakeholders as well as from the entire agency staff. This solicitation effort included establishing an external Regulatory Reform Working Group to serve as key advisors, in addition to holding discussion forums with a number of other external stakeholders (including the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, the Boston Bar Association, MassDEP’s Superfund Advisory Committee, and a group of prominent environmental advocacy organizations). Successful alternative approaches being used by other states across the nation were also evaluated for application here in the Commonwealth. This initiative expands upon the successful efforts launched by MassDEP in 2007 to streamline certain permitting and appeals processes and ensure that MassDEP’s permits are issued within six months as directed by Governor Patrick.

Comments on Commissioner’s Draft Action Plan for Regulatory Reform:

MassDEP has identified a select group of reforms to advance for more refinement and implementation. As you will see, the draft list of targeted reforms builds upon proven alternative regulatory approaches by expanding use of tools such as general permits/permits-by-rule, self-certifications, and authorized oversight by certified third-party experts, as well as adjusting MassDEP’s oversight efforts to focus on higher-value activities.

We hope to have all final regulatory changes in place by June 30, 2012. Commissioner Kimmell requests that interested parties submit written comments on this draft Action Plan. The Commissioner is specifically requesting comments to address the following questions:

  • Are there regulatory reform ideas that have not been included in this Action Plan that should be considered by MassDEP?
  • Should any of the proposed reforms be revised, eliminated, or pursued in a more expansive or limited manner?
  • What, if any, additional safeguards, auditing, or public process should be included as these reform ideas move forward?
  • Do the proposed reforms have any impact on environmental justice considerations?

Please submit your comments on the Draft Action Plan via either of the following mechanisms:

Email: MassDEP.Commissioner@state.ma.us, or

Hard-Copy: Draft Regulatory Reform Action Plan c/o
Jakarta Childers, Commissioner’s Office
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
1 Winter Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02108

We hope that by implementing these targeted reforms we will be able to make significant progress towards the Commissioner’s goals for agency reforms to address our continuing budget and staffing constraints. We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments by Monday, November 21, 2011.

return to list of articles

Drugs in the water
Pharmaceuticals in drinking water and in our waterways Science
by Sara Reardon

With little data on how much excreted and dumped medicines are in the environment, and even less showing a cause-effect relationship between an active ingredient and an adverse effect, researchers, health and environmental agencies, and water-quality regulators have been playing hot potato with the question for decades. But now it's getting serious attention from the European Commission and some pharmaceutical companies. A conference convened with the University of Verona met at the Royal Society of Medicine here on Monday to discuss whether increased monitoring of medicines' effects on the environment, or "ecopharmacovigilance," warrants more intense scrutiny, and what, if anything, can be done to green an increasingly drug-dependent world.

"Pharmaceuticals are new pollutants," said Yves Levi of the University of Paris-Sud. What makes them different, he said, is that the whole point of a drug is to have a very targeted effect from the lowest dose possible. Doctors and pharmacists should keep in mind the potential for unintended exposure, said Christian Daughton of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, comparing drug waste in water to doctors prescribing a cocktail of unknown medications to healthy people at random.<MORE>

BEAT Note: Take a look at BEAT's efforts to decrease the amount of drugs going into our water and waterways.

return to list of articles

The Effect of A Major Road on Bat Activity and Diversity
Anna Berthinussen and John Altringham*, Journal of Applied Ecology doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02068.x

Summary

  1. It is well known that roads can have a significant impact, usually negative, on species and ecosystems.  However, despite their protected status in many countries, little research has been done into the effects of roads on bats. With a view to making more informed management recommendations, we address the simple question: are bat activity and diversity (as measured with ultrasonic detectors) correlated with distance from a major road?
  2. Broadband acoustic surveys were conducted on 20 walked transects perpendicular to the M6, a major road inCumbria (UK), with bat activity recorded at eight spot checks per transect at different distances from the road. Climatic and habitat variables were also recorded, and the relationships between bat activity and these variables were investigated using generalised estimated equations (GEE) and ordinal logistic regression.
  3. Total bat activity, the number of species and the activity of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (the most abundant species) were all positively correlated with distance from the road. Total activity increased more than threefold between 0 and 1600 m from the road. These effects were found to be consistent over 2 years.
  4. Synthesis and applications. This study is one of the first to show that roads have a major negative impact on bat foraging activity and diversity and is broadly applicable to insectivorous bat communities worldwide. Mitigation requires that roads are made more permeable to bats through the use of effective crossings, such as underpasses and overpasses, and that habitat is improved within 1 km of major roads. Because the effectiveness of current mitigation measures is unknown, well-designed monitoring of mitigation is essential.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02068.x/pdf

return to list of articles

Massachusetts Winter Loan Deadline: January 6, 2011

The Carrot Project is pleased to announce that our loan fund serving farms and on-farm value added businesses in Massachusetts will be accepting applications for our winter deadline through January 6, 2011 for loans of $35,000 or less. There is one additional upcoming deadline on March 2, 2012.

For more information, please go to:www.thecarrotproject.org/programs/loan_programs

Or contact Benneth Phelps at: bphelps@thecarrotproject.org or 617.674.2371

return to list of articles

Is the 1%'s Super Committee Writing a Secret Farm Bill?
Demand Cuts to Corporate Welfare - Not Hunger and Sustainable Ag Programs!
from the Organic Consumers Association


The Big Ag lobby suffered a shock when an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to cut farm subsidies to anyone with an average income of over $1 million cleared the Senate by a vote of 84-15. This proposal has yet to become law, but it is clear that the momentum is not in Big Ag's favor. Congress is ready to vote for a fairer Farm Bill in 2012 when the current law expires. Knowing that, corporate lobbyists working for the 1% are trying to prevent any more votes like that one.

Big Ag's current strategy is for Congress not to vote on a new Farm Bill at all. They'd rather have the Super Committee, set to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal debt in November, shape the bill behind closed doors. Their idea is for the Super Committee to cut $23 billion over 10 years, mostly from conservation and nutrition programs that help the hungry, family farmers, and sustainable agriculture, rather than save more money by adopting the White House proposal to save $50 billion over 10 years by ending all direct payments that go to mega farms growing crops for polluting factory farms and unhealthy junk food.

Ag Committee Chairmen and Super Committee members are currently working on a Secret Farm Bill that by all accounts will favor Big Ag over family-scale organic farmers and the swelling ranks of those who are relying on Food Stamps and school lunch programs to survive during the continuing economic crisis.

Tell Congress: Cut Corporate Welfare - Not Hunger and Sustainable Ag Programs!

Take action

return to list of articles