Massachusetts Position on the Rest of the River Meeting Postponed
CHANGE IN MEETING DATE
Mass. Environmental Officials Reschedule Informational Meeting to Outline Commonwealth’s Plan to Cleanup PCBs in Housatonic River
‘Rest of River’ Remedy Proposal Session Changed to Oct. 12 at Lenox Town Hall
Massachusetts environmental officials have postponed the original informational meeting scheduled for next week and will, instead, host a public information session on October 12 to outline the Commonwealth’s proposed plan to remediate PCB contamination in the Housatonic River in western Massachusetts and accept comments on the plan. The meeting will be held from 6:30-8 p.m., at Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker Street.
Officials from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) will be on hand to discuss the Commonwealth’s proposed remedy for the Housatonic’s “Rest of River” segment.
After extensive review of remedies proposed by the responsible party, General Electric, the Commonwealth determined that none of the proposals meets the desired cleanup goals without causing irreparable damage to the ecology of the river and nearby floodplain.
The Commonwealth has developed a remedy that they think fully protects public health and at the same time takes into account the unique ecological resources in this area of critical environmental concern. The state’s remedy would include excavating Woods Pond to remove approximately 286,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment, removing PCBs from 33 acres of floodplain to meet human health protection standards, avoid excavation in highly sensitive rare species habitat when unnecessary to meet human health goals, and instead use other controls such as fish advisories and outreach programs, and transport all excavated material off-site and deposit it in a licensed out-of-state hazardous waste landfill.
At the October 12 meeting, state officials will present details of the remedy, answer questions from the public and receive input on the state-sponsored remedy.
For more details on the Commonwealth’s remedy plan, turn to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/cleanup/sites/housatonic.htm
BEAT Note: BEAT takes issue with the state's position, but we look forward to discussing the issue with them.
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ACTION ALERT - Weigh in on Biomass!
from Mass Audubon
This morning, Mass Audubon joined forces with environmental, health, and social justice groups asking Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray to uphold stringent biomass standards. It is crucial that the Administration stand by their 2010 pledge to limit ratepayer–funded incentives for biomass combustion power plants that burn wood for electricity. For more information read the press release.
Join with us and tell Governor Patrick we need to be smart about biomass!
Massachusetts currently has five new biomass burning plants being considered for approval. The Patrick administration is finalizing regulations, and needs to hear that only biomass from sustainably managed forests that truly reduces carbon output should receive financial incentives from electricity ratepayers!
Burning of biomass such as wood chips is a form of renewable energy. Its impact on the environment varies greatly depending on the scale and efficiency of systems used. Burning wood for heating, or for a combination of heat and electricity, can be an important component of a sustainable energy mix. However, large electric generating facilities that burn massive quantities of wood at low efficiencies could actually increase emissions compared to coal, which has the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any fossil fuel.
Proposed state regulations on biomass need to be strengthened. Please contact Governor Patrick’s office asking him to ensure that the biomass regulations will truly help Massachusetts meet its climate change goals and protect our forests! For more details, see the joint letter from Mass Audubon and our partners to Governor Patrick's administration.
BEAT Note: BEAT heartily agrees with Mass Audubon's position on biomass.
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Second Annual BerkShares Bike-a-Thon and Birthday BBQ Will Benefit a Dozen Local Nonprofits
BerkShares, the historic local currency in Berkshire County, is turning five, and what better way to celebrate than a bike ride through the countryside followed by homegrown music and some local eats? The BerkShares Bike-a-Thon and Birthday BBQ takes place on Sunday, September 25, 2011, at the Route 7 Grill. The ride begins promptly at 2, covering a ten-mile loop through the towns of Great Barrington, Sheffield, and Egremont, with the beautiful Sheffield-Egremont corridor at its heart. The BBQ runs from 4 to 7, featuring a delicious buffet dinner prepared by the Route 7 Grill, and live music by the Mary Jimmons Band and the Easy Ridin’ Papas. Tickets are 20 BerkShares or 25 U.S. dollars. Riders who raise 100 dollars/BerkShares or more in pledges eat for free. All events are open to the public. You don’t have to participate in the bike-a-thon to attend the BBQ.
The BerkShares Bike-a-Thon is a collaborative effort, with a dozen local nonprofits getting on board for the ride: the Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Berkshire Bike Path Committee, Berkshire Grown, Egremont Land Trust, Friends of the Du Bois Home Site, Great Barrington River Walk, Great Barrington Trails and Greenways, Greenagers, Project Native, Railroad Street Youth Project, and the Sheffield Land Trust. These partner organizations are recruiting riders, and in exchange, BerkShares is giving 25% of the pledges those rider receive back the nonprofit that recruited them. To foster greater awareness of our local nonprofit organizations, each group will have its educational information on display at the event.
The business community has generously come forward to support the BerkShares Bike-a-Thon. Major support comes from Berkshire Bike and Board and Berkshire’s Best, and the following businesses are among those sponsoring part of the route: Abbott’s Limousine, Alan Glackman CPA, Baba Louie’s, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Co-op Market, Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Berkshire Mountain Spring Water, Berkshire Record, Berkshire Property Agents, Bra & Girl, Campo di Fiori, Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires, DeVante Designz, DeVries Building Supply, Domaney’s, Fuel, Guido’s, Gypsy Joynt, Hardcastle Company, Herrington’s, Joe Wilkinson Excavating, Kwik Print, Lee Bank, Local Woodworks, New Economics Institute, Rawson Brook Farm, Red Lion Inn, Salisbury Bank and Trust, Seward’s Tires, Smith Contracting, The Brick House, Tom’s Toys, Wheeler & Taylor, and WSBS.
Registration for the BerkShares Bike-a-Thon is from 1:00 to 1:30 at the Route 7 Grill, and the ride begins promptly at 2:00. Rider information packets can be downloaded from www.berkshares.org, requested from one of the nonprofit partner groups, or picked up at Berkshire Bike and Board (get a tune up while you’re there!). The majority of the funds raised from the BerkShares Bike-a-Thon will support the efforts of BerkShares Inc. to nurture a robust local economy in the Berkshire region. For more information, visit www.berkshares.org or call 413/528-1737
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EPA Celebrates National Estuaries Day on September 24th
September 24th is National Estuaries Day, a time to celebrate the importance of estuaries—those places where rivers meet the sea—which also are called bays, sounds, or lagoons. Estuaries are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems on earth. Thousands of species of birds, mammals, fish, and other wildlife depend on estuarine habitats as places to live, feed, and reproduce. Estuarine wetland plants and soils are natural buffers between the land and ocean, absorbing flood waters and dissipating storm surges. Salt marsh grasses and other estuarine plants also help prevent erosion and stabilize shorelines, protecting valuable real estate from storm and flood damage.
Humans rely on estuaries as a source of jobs in the fishing and tourism industries, and as sources of food, recreation, cultural and aesthetic services. Estuaries also are among the most threatened of the earth’s ecosystems, largely because of impacts from rapid population growth and development in coastal areas. To protect and restore these significant habitats, Congress authorized the National Estuary Program (NEP) in 1987 under the Clean Water Act. EPA is the national program manager for the NEP, which is made up of 28 voluntary place-based programs along the nation’s coasts. To date, the NEPs have protected and restored over 1.5 million acres of habitat and leveraged over $2 billion, raising $14 for every $1 provided by EPA to implement NEP activities. To find out more about the NEP, take a virtual tour of an estuary, or volunteer at an NEP near you, visit www.epa.gov/nep.
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HIGHSTEAD Position: Conservation Director
Position Summary
Highstead seeks a creative leader with extensive land conservation and policy experience to fill the position of Conservation Director. Highstead (www.highstead.net) is a regional non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the New England landscape and to advancing the Wildlands and Woodlands Vision (www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org). Its major program areas include scientific research, policy analysis and outreach, collaborative partnerships, land stewardship, and botanical collections. Highstead was founded in 1982 and employs seven staff members at its 100-acre site. The site encompasses a natural area, arboretum, superb office and meeting facilities, and unique collections of native trees and shrubs. Highstead is a growing organization that has recently expanded its staff, land base, facilities, programs and endowment.
More information
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