The BEAT News

October 28, 2010

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
return to top

EPA's Regional Admin. on Housatonic River Remediation
Letter to the Editor, Berkshire Eagle, Oct. 7, 2010

To the Editor,

Since my appointment last year as regional administrator of EPA's New England region, one of my top priorities has been to visit areas where EPA has a major responsibility in the community, to learn about issues important to citizens and to help solve environmental problems.

Last week I had the great experience of visiting Pittsfield, to see first-hand the work that has been done over the past 12 years to clean up the Housatonic River. I attended a community meeting and met many of the local leaders and citizens involved in EPA's and the Commonwealth's ongoing work to ensure that GE does what is required to remediate the decades of pollution accumulated in the environment from PCBs at their Pittsfield facility.

On my visit, I heard loud and clear concerns about the dangers posed by PCBs in the River and floodplain, the fears that invasive cleanup work would itself harm the River, and the desire that the decision-making process include the voices of the people of the Berkshires.

There is obviously a great deal of interest in EPA's upcoming decision about the scope and type of work that will be required of GE in the "Rest of River" portion of the Housatonic, as the river winds south from Pittsfield. And clearly, there is a lot at stake – including protecting the character of the river, and making the right decisions for current and future generations to safely enjoy the river environment.

EPA has not yet made a decision on our proposal for clean up of the Housatonic River. GE will submit its report to us on October 12th, which will cover 10 sediment and nine floodplain alternatives. We expect these alternatives to span a wide range of ways to deal with the large amount of PCBs in the Housatonic River and its floodplain – alternatives that will likely range from removing no PCBs to removing all of the PCBs with an intensive excavation program.

In the proposal GE sends to us next week, they may include their own recommendation as to what alternative it believes is best to clean up the river. However, the process does not stop there.

Once GE submits its clean up report to us, EPA will begin our own rigorous scientific analysis to determine what work is needed to both protect human health and the ecological health in the River's environment. We will solicit comments from the public – first on GE's analysis, and later, once EPA has thoroughly reviewed the information from GE and the public, on EPA's proposed clean up.

It's been estimated that a million-and-a-half pounds of PCBs were lost at the GE facility in Pittsfield to the soil and to the river. These toxins have spread down the Housatonic approximately 130 miles into Connecticut. PCBs remain in the environment a very long time, on the order of hundreds of years. Because PCBs don't affect plant growth, nor are they visible to the eye, the river and floodplain appear to be untainted.

Make no mistake: the Housatonic is a severely degraded river. Concentrations of PCBs in the fish and wildlife in the river and floodplain are among the highest ever measured in the country, and they pose an ongoing threat to the health of people and wildlife living near and using the river. It's our generation's job to address this issue and make the right choices so that future generations will be able to safely enjoy life near the river.
GE is a large company that has accomplished many important things during their history, and we look forward to ensuring that they continue to do what is required to make the river healthy again.

I am committed to making decisions based on sound science, and based on the best available information. I am also committed to an open, inclusive and transparent process that allows the communities of the Berkshires to weigh in with their concerns and priorities. I will ensure that whatever plan EPA ultimately decides is best to bring the Housatonic back to health, it will be implemented by GE in a manner that is sensitive to the unique character of the river and to the community.

Curt Spalding
Regional Administrator
U.S. EPA, New England Regional Office
http://www.epa.gov/NE/ra/column/archive/2010/housatonicriver-20101007.html
return to top

PCB Dredging Plan for Ward 4
from Ward 4 News, City Councilor Mike Ward

Oh, do I have your attention now?  I feel like the Boy Who Cried Wolf but eventually something is going to happen with the Housatonic River and now is probably a good time for you to get off the sidelines and weigh in on this mega-project.   The EPA and GE have been locked in a bureaucratic tango over the so-called “Rest of River” cleanup plan for years now.  They each have an ideal vision of what should be done with the river and it’s quite possible that you won’t agree with either of them.  It’s also quite possible that you won’t understand GE’s latest proposal but you have to make the effort to try.  Not only are gazillions of dollars involved, but the land at issue is literally in our back yard.  So start by skimming the Executive Summary (about 28 pages) of this eleven-hundred page tome.  There will be a quiz next week.
return to top

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a 30-day extension to the Informal Public Input Period on General Electric Company's Revised Corrective Measures Study (CMS) Report for the Housatonic River Site, Rest of River.

EPA will accept informal public input through Wednesday, December 15, 2010.

GE's Revised CMS is available on the EPA website and is located in the Rest of River section under GE Reports/Corrective Measures Study. The direct link is:   http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/restofriver-reports.html#CMS

The CMS includes GE's recommendations on which alternatives the company believes best meet the objectives and criteria specified for the Rest of River project.  This recommendation from GE does not reflect EPA's views on the alternative that best meets the criteria in the permit

EPA is reviewing GE's Revised CMS as well as GE’s previous CMS submitted in March of 2008.  EPA is now accepting comments from all interested organizations and individuals.  After conducting its review and analyses, EPA will propose a cleanup plan for the Rest of River for public comment.

Comments may be submitted

by mail to:
Susan Svirsky, EPA Rest of River Project Manager
c/o Weston Solutions
10 Lyman Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201

by e-mail to:
svirsky.susan@epa.gov  cc:  Linda.Palmieri@WestonSolutions.com

Please contact me with any questions.

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)
return to top

Green Commission Earns Another Milestone for Pittsfield
from Ward 6 News, City Councilor John Krol
The City of Pittsfield has shown a rock solid commitment to becoming more energy efficient, evidenced by the creation and work of the Green Commission, Pittsfield earning a Green Community designation with the passage fo the energy stretch code, and millions of dollars of investment in green energy projects. As the City has taken steps to make its own buildings and vehicles energy efficient, we now have an outstanding opportunity to bring it to the people. Since Pittsfield is now widely recognized as a community truly committed to being green, we were selected for a pilot program that will provide world-class  services by energy efficiency firm, Serrafix -- free of charge. The goal will be to create an energy efficiency program and message that will reduce the carbon footprint by engaging all of our residents.

Click here to learn more about Serrafix.
return to top

Berkshire Medical Center's Green New Building
from Ward 6 News, City Councilor John Krol

I would like to voice a special thank you to Green Commission member, and Berkshire Health Systems Director of Buildings, Joseph LaRoche, for providing the Green Commission with a sneak peek at the new 24 Park Building, which will include the Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates and new op erating rooms. In addition, building consultant and BMC admini strators offered a presentation on the creation of this building that has been LEED certified after a true commitment to create a green building. The building will have many innovative features like a public monitor displaying real-time measurements of energy usage.
Click here to see the Green Commission Tour of 24 Park and meeting.
return to top

Connecticut Holding Company Pays Fine for PCB Violations .

(Boston, Mass. – October 21, 2010) - The owner of an inoperative Bridgeport, Conn. brass facility has agreed to pay $52,000 for violating federal regulations covering the disposal, use, storage and marking violations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The Fairfield-based Connecticut Transfer and Recycling Co., LLC. (CTC) owns the former Bridgeport Brass Company facility in Bridgeport. In 2008, CTC hired a waste transporter to pump out waste oil from an electrical transformer and two 55-gallon drums located at the facility. CTC’s waste oil was not initially identified as containing PCBs and was mixed with waste oil from other companies by the waste transporter and sent off to be recycled. PCBs, however, were discovered in the combined waste and eventually traced back to the waste oil from CTC’s facility.

This information prompted CT DEP to inspect CTC’s facility for compliance with TSCA and PCB regulations. The inspection revealed several federal violations, including the improper disposal of PCBs via two spilled or leaking transformers; and failure to comply with various use, storage and marking requirements by not labeling a PCB transformer, not labeling PCB storage areas and not meeting various PCB storage and dating requirements.
CTC has also agreed to cleanup the PCB spill areas around the transformers.

PCBs are persistent in the environment and are suspected carcinogens. Exposure to PCBs can cause liver problems and skin rashes.

More information:
Appropriate ways to manage PCBs (www.epa.gov/region01/enforcement/tsca/index.html#pcb)
Basic information on PCBs (www.epa.gov/pcb)
return to top

A Cheaper Route to Solar Cells.
from Earth Equity News
The Weekly Edition
Climate Crisis Coalition
Monday, October 25, 2010

By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, 10/19/10. “A company that secured a Department of Energy grant to pursue a breakthrough idea in the manufacture of solar cells plans to announce on Tuesday that it has raised $20 million to commercialize its technique, which it says will reduce the price of solar panels by 40 percent. The company, 1366 Technologies of Lexington, Mass., has found a simpler way to produce the basic building block of solar cells: silicon wafers. It uses molten silicon to cast the wafers in their final form, six inches on one side and 200 microns thick, or about eight-thousandths of an inch. The current method is to cast the silicon in huge ingots or grow it in giant crystals and then saw off thin pieces, which wastes about half of the silicon.
return to top

U.N. Biodiversity Conference
from Earth Equity News
The Weekly Edition
Climate Crisis Coalition
Monday, October 25, 2010

U.N. Study Puts Economic Value on Intact Ecosystems. By John M. Broder, NYTimes, 10/20/10. “Forests, fisheries, coral reefs, bee colonies and other natural assets carry large and unappreciated economic benefits as well as contributing to the diversity of the planet’s plant and animal life, according to a new study [The Economics of Biodiversity, PDF, 39 pp] from the United Nations Environment Program. The study, known as the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), is the result of three years of work led by the United Nations Environment Program and an effort to get governments and private businesses around the world to appreciate the value of nature and participate in efforts to preserve it. The report was released on Wednesday in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity, under way in Nagoya, Japan. The study found that forests, reefs and oceans account for 47 to 89 percent of the effective income of rural and poor households in many large developing countries. This source of income has generally been overlooked by many economists, who have focused on traditional sectors like manufacturing, mining, retailing, construction and energy generation.”
return to top

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources invites you to join its team of experts for a detailed webinar on the Stretch energy code, essential for your city or town to become a Green Community.                                                                                                                                                                                    
Stretch Code 201Wed Nov 3 – Ian Finlayson, Buildings & Climate Programs Manager   
Hear more about implementing the Stretch energy code – the building code with a 20% improvement in energy efficiency – now adopted by 49 communities in MA, together with a Q&A section covering implementation and code interpretation. Joining Ian to answer your questions will be Mike Guigli, Technical Director and Tom Riley, Code Development Manager, from the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety, Board of Building Regulations and Standards.

Click here to register for this webinar on Wednesday, November 3. This session only will be held from 2 – 3pm.  

Note: this webinar is for individuals who already have some familiarity with the Stretch energy code. 

Watch for future webinars in our on-going series:
You will receive a separate invitation prior to each month’s session, to be held from 10 – 11am.

Solar 101Wed Dec  1 – Natalie Andrews, Renewables Energy Project Coordinator
Interested in putting up a solar array on a town building or closed landfill? We will cover the basics of solar photovoltaics, what makes for a good site, how to maximize incentives, and the basics of procurement. The session will put it all together and lay out a step-by-step checklist for getting your project built.
 
Energy AuditsWed Jan 5 – Aimee Powelka, Municipal Efficiency Coordinator
Want to have an energy audit but don’t know where to start? Join us for an overview on how to evaluate and track your energy usage, work with Mass Save to identify energy efficiency opportunities, get the most out of the energy audit process and implement low and no-cost measures to reduce energy usage.
 
Energy Management Services (Performance Contracting)Wed Feb 2 – Eileen McHugh, Municipal Programs Coordinator
Learn about Energy Management Services, how it works and where to get help. Join us for ‘ESCO projects 101’: how the process interacts with other energy efficiency opportunities, together with best practices for executing a performance contact.
 
Municipal Energy Success Stories & Lessons LearnedWed March 2 – Tom Witkin, Communications Coordinator 
Myriad cities and towns throughout Massachusetts have benefitted from energy projects ranging from improvements in lighting efficiency to demand response to photovoltaics arrays on landfills. Learn how municipalities have navigated the sometimes windy road to lower energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

If you missed the October 6 session on Navigating the Green Communities Designation Process, click here to view.

* * * *

Green Communities Designation – Electronic Submission Requirements 
In order to facilitate review and approval of your Green Communities Designation application, please submit your electronic application on a compact disk as six (6) separate Acrobat files (PDF), one file for the designation application form and a separate file of supporting documentation for each Criterion named as follows:  

  • [Municipality Name] GC Designation Application.pdf (e.g. Anytown GC Designation Application.pdf)
  • Criteria 1 – (Municipality Name) As of Right Siting.pdf (e.g. Criteria 1 - Anytown As of Right Siting.pdf)
  • Criteria 2 – (Municipality Name) Expedited Permitting.pdf
  • Criteria 3 – (Municipality Name) Energy Reduction Plan and Baseline.pdf
  • Criteria 4 – (Municipality Name) Fuel Efficient Vehicles.pdf
  • Criteria 5 – (Municipality Name) Minimize Life Cycle Costs.pdf
    return to top

The Heat is On (Biomass)
from Mass Audubon's Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup

See what Mass Audubon has to say about proposed state standards to regulate heat warming pollution, and the role of burning wood in the state’s renewable energy supplies.

And see the joint letter submitted by Mass Audubon in partnership with six other environment groups.
return to top

Participate Massachusetts Envirothon’s 2011 Current Issue focus on Wetland Protection.  Are you interested in introducing the next generation of Massachusetts citizens to wetlands (and related land and water issues) in their communities?  Please read on.

How the Envirothon works:  Across Massachusetts this year -- in rural, suburban, and urban communities -- teams of high school students and their coaches will be investigating land and water resource issues that involve wetlands.  They will scour local news sources, visit wetlands (and get their feet wet), and contact a range of people involved in conservation and development.  The year culminates with teams presenting their research findings and recommendations to panels of judges at the Envirothon competition in May.

We Need You!  Right now we are looking for presenters for our November 17 kickoff event at UMass Amherst (We will also be recruiting for workshops on February 2 at UMass Dartmouth and March 5 at Wheaton College, and we need judges for Envirothon presentations on May 13).  One of the ways that Mass Envirothon helps teams get started in their community research is by offering workshops on all aspects of the Current Issue in the fall and winter.  The goal is for teams to encounter a variety of topics (from science to public policy, from natural history to engineering) and learn from individuals with diverse perspectives.  Are you interested and able to help?

The following are general considerations and a wish list of specific topics we would like to see addressed in workshops. 

General Considerations
1)      Teams will use what they learn in these workshops as background for investigating wetland issues in their own home communities
2)      We will encourage teams not only to look at the functions and values of inland and/or tidal wetlands as traditionally defined, but to consider the larger issues that connect them to surrounding lands and waters.
3)      While they don’t need to be trained as conservation commissioners, teams do need to have some basic understanding of the nitty gritty details of the regulatory processes involved in the issues.
4)      Case studies that introduce issues through the details of specific experiences are particularly welcome.

Specific Topics

  • The variety of wetlands in Massachusetts
  • How to explore a wetland
  • The work of Municipal Conservation Commissions
  • Wetlands as wildlife habitat (including relationships with water bodies and uplands)
  • Mapping wetlands
  • Wetland soils
  • Legal protection (local, state, federal, international) for wetlands and wetland values - including critique of how well the laws work and what else may be needed
  • Why towns are passing local wetland protection bylaws
  • Delineating wetlands and resource areas
  • Stormwater and downstream wetlands
  • Constructed wetlands
  • Wetland replication
  • Compatibility of recreational boating with shellfish habitat protection
  • Invasive species in wetlands
  • Wetlands and pond management issues
  • Wetlands and river management issues
  • How climate change may affect wetlands
  • Low stream flow (stressed stream) issues and wetlands
  • Best management practices and performance standards for work in wetlands
  • Wetlands’ potential for nutrient attenuation
  • Compatibility of agriculture and wetland values
  • Compatibility of forest harvesting and wetland values
  • Beavers and wetland creation
  • Engineering to protect and mitigate for wetland values

Do you have a topic or burning issue that we should be introducing?  An interesting wetland story to tell?  Let us know.  We are interested in the best possible representation of the topics and perspectives that our teams will encounter in their community research.

A little more about the workshops on November 17:
There are four 50 minute time slots in the late morning and early afternoon, beginnning at 9:40, 10:40, 12:20, and 1:25.  You are welcome to present more than once.

  • Standard presentations aimed at a general public audience will work well.  Your audience will average perhaps 25 people in a coach:student ratio of 1:4
  • Case studies (good stories!) that illustrate the issues are very helpful .
  • We need overview presentations as well as workshops that focus on particular issues
  • Interactive formats and visual images are welcome
  • Time for questions is important

For more on the Envirothon and this year’s Current Issue see http://www.maenvirothon.org and click on Wetlands Protection.  Please contact me with questions or to volunteer!

Will Snyder
Acting Chair, Mass Envirothon Committee

UMass Extension
101 University Drive
Amherst   MA   01002 -2376

413/545-3876
wsnyder@umext.umass.edu
***********************************
Want to help stamp out Nature Deficit Disorder and engage the next generation in local environmental solutions?  Ask me about the Massachusetts Envirothon!
More than 90% of Mass Envirothon’s go-power comes from the positive energy of partnerships, volunteerism, and contributed resources.  Only 10% (though a critical 10%) comes in the form of cash donations.  One way or another, will you join us?
******************************** 
The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.
return to top

UPCOMING GRANT OPPORTUNITY: FFY 11 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning, Pre-RFR Meetings

The Department of Environmental Protection plans to hold two pre - RFR Informational Meetings [one has already taken place] to discuss potential projects before the FFY11 604(b) RFR is issued in early November 2010.  We recommend potential respondents attend one of these meetings to discuss your ideas for new projects. The second meeting will be held in Conference Room 6003 at MassDEP’s Boston Office at One Winter Street on Thursday, October 28, 2010 from 10:00 AM to Noon.
See (http://www.mass.gov/dep/about/organization/depdir.htm) for directions to the Boston office.

For FFY 2011, the Department will continue to focus 604b funds towards watershed or subwatershed based 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 pollutant loads reductions 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.  Proposals that address data needs for the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, TMDL development, or water supply source protection planning will also be considered.

MassDEP’s assessment needs are identified in:
 -  Massachusetts Watershed based plans (http://public.dep.state.ma.us/Watershed/Intro.aspx),
 -  Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan (www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/nonpoint.htm), &
 -  MassDEP’s watershed water quality assessment reports (www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/wqassess.htm).

Pursuant to Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act, eligible grant applicants must be either Regional Public Comprehensive Planning Organizations or Interstate Organizations.  Eligible entities include: regional planning agencies, council of governments, counties, conservation districts, cities and towns, and other substate public planning agencies and interstate agencies.

Mass DEP encourages Respondents to propose water quality assessment/planning projects that will lead to direct actions by Municipalities and others to implement water quality improvements. MassDEP is seeking project proposals that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for BMPs to address these problems.

Respondents should note that MassDEP's Division of Watershed Management (DWM) recently made adjustments to its surface water monitoring program to more efficiently focus field and laboratory resources. DWM plans to continue monitoring in accordance with a five-year rotating schedule, however, the assemblage of noncontiguous river basins and coastal drainage areas that were the focus of monitoring each year will now be grouped according to region. Further discussion of this new arrangement along with a map of the basin alignment can be found at:
 http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/swmonadj.htm

DWM will concentrate sampling efforts in central basins (Blackstone, French, Millers, Nashua, Quinebaug and Ten Mile) during 2011; and in western basins (Deerfield, Farmington, Housatonic, Hudson, and Westfield) during 2012.

As the Commonwealth’s procurement rules prohibit MassDEP or any other RFR issuer from consulting with potential applicants to develop project ideas once an RFR is issued, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact MassDEP before the RFR issue date to refine project ideas and obtain feedback.  Contact Gary Gonyea (617-556-1152 or gary.gonyea@state.ma.us) for a discussion of ideas and program objectives. 

The tentative schedule is as follows:
Pre-RFR Informational Meetings CERO & Boston                          October 26 & 28, 2010
RFR release on Comm-PASS                                                         November 5, 2010
Responses due to MassDEP                                                           December 20, 2010
Evaluation of Responses                                                                 January 2011
Award Announcement (estimated)                                                  March 2011

     The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.
return to top

Climate Crisis Coalition

Price Carbon Campaign

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Dear Friends,

A growing number of our supporters are asking about the upcoming conference on pricing carbon emissions that we are helping to organize with Wesleyan University, on November 19-21 – especially now that that we have posted Al Gore’s enthusiastic welcoming letter. I’m writing to let you know that there is still space available and to invite you to attend. It is designed so people like you can: learn more about why carbon-pricing is essential; help us explore how it can be made fair, effective and feasible; and discuss how to mobilize the grassroots and organize the public to enact carbon-pricing legislation in Washington. The conference will be on the weekend before Thanksgiving, at the Wesleyan campus in Middletown, Connecticut.

Climate Crisis Coalition is one of the conference hosts, along with the Carbon Tax Center, the Price Carbon Campaign, Progressive Democrats of America, and Friends of the Earth. We’ve designed the conference to allow a broad spectrum of climate activists to unite around a common agenda that defines the basic principles of strong climate legislation, beginning with putting a clear and steadily rising price on carbon emissions. With the continuing failure of the cap/trade/offset mechanism to gain support in Congress, it’s time for climate policy makers and concerned citizens to rethink carbon-pricing options. I strongly hope that you can join us.

Please check out the conference website, and have a look at our flyer and our announcement. I’m especially pleased with the quality of the speakers and the breadth of the registrants who will be participating. You can register on-line. We’ve reserved a block of rooms at a very affordable rate. Since the online room registration period is about to expire, please get back to me soon if you would like lodging, and we'll let you know what we still have available.

Best wishes,

Tom

Tom Stokes, coordinator
Climate Crisis Coalition
tstokes@kyotoandbeyond.org 
www.pricingcarbon.org
www.climatecrisiscoalition.org

If would like to help augment our conference scholarship fund for students and climate activists please read this letter. Most of all, we hope that you can attend for part or all of the conference.
return to top

Onsite/Cluster Wastewater Treatment System Design, Management, and Use: Free Webinars

A series of six one-hour webinars on individual and clustered (decentralized) wastewater system design, management, and use in protecting surface and ground waters is planned for November and early December. The training sessions are open to consultants, design engineers, service professionals, and regulators at no cost through a university-based watershed management webinar program. The US Environmental Protection Agency, the Conservation Technology Information Center, and Purdue University are co-sponsoring the training to improve the level of understanding and knowledge on how conventional and high-performance treatment systems work, how they’re designed and managed, and how to incorporate them into a wastewater management program. Webcasts will be held at 12 noon EST beginning on Tuesday, November 9th, and continue every Tuesday at noon until December 14th. Registration information and the full schedule is posted at http://ctic.paqinteractive.com/resourcedisplay/384/. For more information, contact: Angie Williams at williams@ctic.org<mailto:williams@ctic.org>
return to top