MassDEP, AG Reach $2.3 Million Settlement With Attleboro Plant Owners Over Numerous Environmental Violations
MassDEP and the Attorney General's office recently approved a landmark settlement agreement with Mantrose-Haeuser Co, Inc. and Zinsser Co., Inc. concerning allegations that the companies violated several of the state's air pollution and other environmental laws at their Attleboro manufacturing facility, located in a residential area adjacent to the Ten Mile River. The companies have agreed to pay $2 million in civil penalties and $300,000 toward two supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) that will benefit public health and the environment. The first SEP would pay $150,000 to help fund the installation of auxiliary power units on Providence and Worcester Railroad diesel powered locomotives, reducing locomotive idling and excess diesel particulate emissions. The second SEP would send $150,000 to the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority to help fund a riverbank restoration project on the Ten Mile River as part of the downtown urban renewal plan. The complaint, in part, alleges that since 1998 the facility has annually emitted, at a minimum, two to three times more air pollutants than their permit allowed, along with numerous other environmental violations. The case was investigated by MassDEP's Regional Enforcement and Compliance Team, which operates out of the Southeast Regional Office in Lakeville, and focuses on investigating complex, multi-violations cases. For more details on this case, see the Attorney General's Press Release.

Stakeholder Meetings To Seek Public Comment On New Solid Waste Master Plan
MassDEP will be holding statewide stakeholder meetings in December and January to garner public input on the new Solid Waste Master Plan. The master plan is the Commonwealth's blueprint for managing solid waste that is generated, reused, recycled, recovered and disposed of in Massachusetts. Increases in energy costs, heightened concerns about climate change, renewed interest in more efficient use of waste as second-hand materials, and diminishing public resources are prompting MassDEP to fundamentally reexamine the way we think about solid waste management. The public meetings are set for: Dec. 9 in the MassDEP Boston office; Dec. 11 at MassDEP's office in Worcester; Dec. 16 at MassDEP's office in Wilmington; Jan. 6 at Holyoke Community College; and Jan. 8 at the Lakeville Public Library. For more details on the meetings and the master plan, turn to: www.mass.gov/dep/public/publiche.htm#swmp

State Visit

Dr. Antoine "Tony" H. Karam (center), Minister of the Environment for the Lebanese Republic, recently paid a visit to MassDEP to talk about issues as varied as drinking water and wastewater, solid waste, and incinerator emissions. He was joined by Lebanese official Leila Tomey (right) and friend Gazi Saab (2nd from right), as well as MassDEP staffers (l-r) Ed Coletta, Marc Wolman, Glenn Keith, and Denise Springborg (next to Dr. Karam).

$2.2 Million Awarded To 11 Local Projects To Eliminate Nonpoint Source Pollution
The Patrick Administration has announced that 11 local projects will receive more than $2.2 million in funding as part of the federal fiscal year 2009 Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grant Program. The projects will help to protect water resources by restoring and preserving watershed areas, constructing storm-water treatment systems, demonstrating innovative technologies, and educating the public on how to protect sensitive natural resources. The projects are located in: Barnstable County; Boston; Brewster; Fairhaven; Harvard; Hull; Plymouth/Wareham; Provincetown; Southwick; Stockbridge; and West Brookfield. Pollution from storm-water runoff and other nonpoint sources threatens the health of lakes, streams and watersheds, and these projects will educate citizens about the dangers of nonpoint pollution and how to eliminate it.

Trailers Delivered


MassDEP recently delivered oil spill emergency response equipment trailers to 12 coastal communities on Cape Ann. Each trailer contains equipment that can be deployed quickly by local officials in case of an oil spill. Receiving the trailers were Gloucester, Salisbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Essex, Ipswich, Rockport, Manchester-by-the Sea, Beverly, Salem and Marblehead. MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt and Sen. Bruce Tarr (top photo) look over boom materials in the trailer, while shown at the trailer during the presentation are: (bottom photo, l-r) U.S. Coast Guard Gloucester Station Warrant Officer Chris Sparkman, Sen. Tar, Rep. Anthony Verga, Commissioner Burt, Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, and USCG Capt. Gail Kulisch. The oil spill trailer delivered to Newbury was used to contain an oil spill a few weeks later.

Oil Spill Trailer From MassDEP Put To Good Use In Newbury
MassDEP has delivered 48 oil spill trailers to emergency responders in coastal communities over the last few years, and the Town of Newbury in northeastern Massachusetts was the first town to put the trailer into action this fall. A home heating oil spill was discovered in the Parker River, and it was threatening to impact sensitive resources in this tidal river area. But the Newbury Fire Department jumped into action, brought their new oil spill response trailer to the scene and deployed containment boom from the trailer to halt the flow of the oil into the river. The oil was later pumped out of the river. It was noted that the Newbury firefighters had gotten training from MassDEP on the use of this equipment just days before the oil spill was reported, and they did a good job of placing and halting the spill.

$80,000 Awarded To Eight Organizations To Promote Citizen Involvement In Contaminated Site Cleanups
MassDEP has awarded a total of $80,000 to two municipalities and six citizen groups in order to track contaminated sites. The 2008 Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program provides funding to promote citizen involvement in the planning process for cleaning up contaminated sites, and it assists citizens in obtaining and understanding the technical information that is used to make cleanup decisions at these sites. The $10,000 grants were awarded to: People of Ayer Concerned About the Environment; Town of Deerfield; Citizens for Environmental Justice in Fall River; the Neponset River Watershed Association in Hyde Park; the Citizens Environmental Health Impact Committee in Middleborough; Old Bedford Village Economic Development Commission in New Bedford; the Norwood Health Department; and the Friends and Neighbors of Glen Park in Somerville. TAG awards are used to hire a consultant, or other technical expert, to conduct an independent analysis of the waste site cleanup activities. The findings are then presented to the community for review and comment. 

Summer Ozone Season Results In 18 Unhealthful Air Days
The 2008 summer ozone season ended September 30th, and MassDEP noted improvements to the air quality this summer. There were 18 unhealthful air days recorded this year, the same number as 2007. While the number remained the same, this in part represents an improvement because in 2008, a new stricter federal ozone standard was in effect, and this change had been expected to result in an increase in the number of unhealthful air days. Though tighter pollution controls and residents' efforts to reduce pollution had a positive impact this summer, so did weather patterns that brought more cloudy days and frequent rains. For more information on what Massachusetts is doing to combat air pollution, turn to: www.mass.gov/dep/air.

CPR Training At MassDEP The MassDEP Bureau of Administrative Services (BAS) recently held an open house at the Boston headquarters to highlight all of the services offered by BAS. One of those services is CPR training and yearly review classes for MassDEP staffers. BAS training officer Steve Korzen shows off some of the CRP training equipment.

DEP-Assisted Report On Recycling Earns Fox-25 An Emmy
A news segment on the Boston area FOX-25 channel that focused on recycling, and was brought about with considerable input from MassDEP, has helped the station (WFXT-25) win a New England Emmy Award for Best News Report/Light Feature. The segment, "How Much Trash Do You Produce?" originally aired on Nov. 28, 2007. MassDEP's Recycling Director Greg Cooper participated in taping the light-hearted segment. Greg and anchorman, Frank Mallicoat, looked at what each of us could do in order to recycle more. Video footage followed Frank as he bags all his weekly trash in one place. This is followed with footage of a table full of trash accumulated by week's end. Greg then guides Frank through this refuse, reviewing what should or could have been done to reduce it. Large amounts of paper, plastic, glass and metal are highlighted. Suggestions are offered to reduce the waste: bring a cloth bag to the store; bring your own mug to re-fill your coffee; recycle all your paper, including cardboard; and start a compost bin for that organic material. For more recycling tips, turn to: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reducere.htm

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