Public Hearing: Draft Environmental Assessment for the Round IV New Bedford Harbor Restoration Grants.

NEW BEDFORD HARBOR TRUSTEE COUNCIL
ROUND IV PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED

State and federal environmental authorities have scheduled a public hearing and set up a comment period concerning the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Round IV New Bedford Harbor Restoration Grants. 

The New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council, comprised of representatives from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of the Interior, has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at 6:30 pm, at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA. 

At this hearing, the Trustee Council will receive public comment on the preliminary decision to provide funding for 4 grant applications that were submitted to the Council for projects to restore natural resources that were injured by the release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances into the New Bedford Harbor Environment.  Written comments will be accepted through December 10, 2010.

New Bedford Harbor was designated a Superfund Site as a result of the release of contaminants into New Bedford Harbor and Acushnet River. The Trustee Council is responsible for the restoration of natural resources that were injured, destroyed or lost resulting from the releases. Working with funds provided by settlements, the trustees are making decisions on how to spend the remaining $6 million available for restoration projects.  For a copy of the Draft Environmental Assessment and more information on providing comments, see http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/northeast/new_bedford/.