September 13, 2008

In the News

• EPA requires GE to revise Corrective Measures Study 9/2008
• Forest management workshop for Mass. private landowners
• Planning Conferences Offered at BRPC
• EPA Provides Incentives for Clean Water Permit Fee Programs
• State and Federal Officials Begin Process for Second Round of Projects to Restore the Housatonic River Watershed
• Home, Green Home

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EPA requires GE to revise Corrective Measures Study 9/2008

On September 9, 2008, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a 38 page response (pdf) to General Electric Company (GE) with comments on GE's March 2008 Corrective Measures Study Report, which is basically GE's proposal of how they would remediate the Rest of the Housatonic River. (see the EPA website with all the documents.) EPA also provided a 2 page summary (pdf) of their response.

BEAT is pleased to see, on the front page of their two-page summary, that EPA is requiring a phased, adaptive remediation that will allow for the use of new technologies, and has recommitted to outreach to keep the public informed and involved throughout the process.

From the summary: "Consistent with this goal, the remedy must include a phased and adaptive cleanup approach that allows the flexibility to accommodate new knowledge and advances in technology over time. Further, EPA will continue with its robust outreach program throughout the lifespan of the project to ensure that the public continues to be actively involved as the cleanup progresses, and as new developments occur in science or technology."

Forest management workshop for Mass. private landowners

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (September 8, 2008) -- Massachusetts private landowners are invited to attend a hands-on forest management workshop on September 27, 2008, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at Savoy Mountain State Forest in Savoy, Massachusetts. "Managing for Early-Successional Forests" is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Conservation District, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

A panel of experts from DCR, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), Ruffed Grouse Society, USDA Rural Development and NRCS will discuss the importance of shrub land and young forest habitat for ruffed grouse, woodcock and other wildlife. The techniques and tools of habitat management including timber harvesting, mowing and funding sources for private landowners will be discussed.

Wear comfortable shoes for walking and bring bug spray and raingear. This event will be held rain or shine. Meet at the parking lot on north side of Burnett Road in Savoy. For more information, contact The Berkshire Conservation District office in Pittsfield at 413-443-1776 x102, or e-mail deborah.burke@ma.usda.gov.

Plant succession is an ecological process in which one plant community replaces another over time. The early stages of plant succession - grasslands, shrublands, young forest - are typically called early-successional habitats. Early-successional habitats and the species that utilize them are gradually being lost to forest regrowth and development pressures. Planning efforts are underway across the state, including at the Savoy State Forest, to restore early successional habitat to the landscape.

The workshop will be held on an 18-acre block of old abandoned field now reverting to forest, dominated by mature aspen. Future plans include removing most of the overstory to allow the shrubs and saplings to return and thus the wildlife species that depend on them. This 18-acre block will connect two other parcels of recently-managed young forest habitat.

DIRECTIONS: From Route 116/Savoy Road, turn onto Center Road and go 2.9 miles. Turn left at Adams Road and go 0.2 miles. Turn right at New State Road and go 1.5 mile. Turn left at Burnett Road and go 0.4 mile. Look for the parking lot on the north side of road.

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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EPA Provides Incentives for Clean Water Permit Fee Programs
(from Water Headlines for September 8, 2008 a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water)

EPA is issuing a new rule that will provide financial incentives for states to use fees when administering a clean water permit program. EPA can give up to a total of $5.1 million to states that have adequate permit fees for their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) programs.

"Clean water permit fees can be a great tool for gaining and sustaining progress," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "EPA's voluntary incentive program is a modest but meaningful step to encourage market-based solutions with our state partners."

This rule is designed to encourage states to voluntarily implement adequate fee programs and shift part of the financial burden to those who benefit from the permits. It will also allow states to move funds to other critical water quality program activities.

The increased cost of administering water permit programs has already prompted some states to implement permit fee programs to cover some costs. A number of states, however, still operate with little or no reliance on permit fees.

The permit fee incentive will only be made available if federal funding for state water pollution control programs is more than the fiscal year 2008 level. Therefore, state grants will not decrease as a result of this rulemaking. The rule will be in effect for the fiscal year 2009 grant cycle and beyond.

As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES permit program controls water pollution by regulating municipal, industrial and related sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States.

About the Water Pollution Control Program Grants: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/npdes-permit-fee.htm

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State and Federal Officials Begin Process for Second Round of Projects to Restore the Housatonic River Watershed
Massachusetts EEA and USFWS will hold informational meeting on Sept. 25

BOSTON – The second round of restoration work to remedy years of environmental degradation caused by General Electric’s release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Housatonic River begins this month, when the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) host a meeting in Lenox to discuss the process for selecting land acquisition and other restoration projects.

Following the September 25 public meeting, EEA and USFWS - acting as the Housatonic River Natural Resource Trustees – will solicit proposals for projects worth approximately $4 million later this fall.  EEA and USFWS were named Trustees as the result of an October 2000 consent decree, under which General Electric paid over $15 million to compensate for natural resource damages in Massachusetts and Connecticut caused by release of PCBs from the company’s Pittsfield facility.  PCB pollution affected aquatic wildlife and habitats, as well as waterfowl and predators that consume contaminated organisms. Roughly half of the $15 million total was made available for restoration efforts in each state. EEA Secretary Ian Bowles serves as the Commonwealth’s Trustee. 

In January, EEA and USFWS announced contracts for $4 million worth of Round 1 restoration projects, ranging from invasive species control and restoring river flow to implementing an environmental literacy program.  For Round 2, the Trustees will concentrate on land protection and acquisition and on projects that directly benefit aquatic and wildlife resources.

This month’s informational meeting will focus on procedural differences between the Round 1 and Round 2 project selection processes, and Trustee representatives will discuss formation of a committee to provide input on criteria for land acquisition. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the Trustees’ proposed Round 2 procedures at the September 25 meeting and written comments will be accepted for two weeks afterward.

“With Round 1 projects underway, this month’s meeting paves the way for the next phase of restoration for the Housatonic River Watershed,” Secretary Bowles said. “This next round will focus specifically on aiding the wide range of flora and fauna that make the watershed their home. I look forward to seeing the projects that will be proposed to restore these resources to their full health and potential.” 

Traversing 69 miles of the Bay State, the Housatonic River flows north to south between the Taconic Mountain Range of eastern New York and the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and then through Connecticut where it empties into Long Island Sound. The approximately 504-square-mile watershed supports 117 rare plants and 33 rare animal species. Under the NRD process, the Massachusetts Trustees will later this fall solicit proposals for spending approximately $4 million to restore, rehabilitate, replace and/or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources in the Housatonic River Watershed. Information about the Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Project can be viewed at www.ma-housatonicrestoration.org.

Restoration achievements are made possible by cooperative efforts of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Programs of EEA and the USFWS. The Trustee representatives, who administer the funds and work with local communities to restore the Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic watershed, are EEA NRD Program Director Dale Young and USFWS NRD Specialist Veronica Varela.

The September 25 public meeting regarding the Round 2 process will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Lenox Town Hall , 6 Walker Street , Lenox.

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Home, green home. A new generation of green homes have a dramatically reduced environmental impact, but do not require big changes in their inhabitants’ lives. Economist
http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11999259
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