Letter: PCBs Decision Disappointing But Not Unexpected

To the Editor:

While we are saddened by the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit which denied the HRI/HEAL appeal, it did not come unexpectedly.

Having fought against the injustices of General Electric to our environment and health and safety of our communities, we have seen an erosion of our legal system that supports wealth and power at the sacrifice of our citizens. It is well known that judges are chosen these days based more by political positions than legal accomplishment.

The luck of the draw was that the appeal was in front of a judiciary that has past decisions that clearly supported industry rather than citizens.

The agreement which allows for a toxic dump in Lee, was created under secret negotiations by an appointed individual who we disagreed should have been selected. The agreement violated many citizen protections such as local citizen involvement and Environmental Justice tenets of both Massachusetts and the United States. A handful of representatives from the affected towns along the Housatonic "surprisingly" chose Lee, which is considered the less affluent community of the group, to be the locale of the dump.

Lee residents never stood a chance to fight this injustice.

More importantly, the politicians and even the media who support the agreement suffer from Willful Ignorance where they purposely ignore the science which warrants a more thorough cleanup than offered and the problematic results of creating a toxic dump in Lee. Such dumps in other locales have failed as this one will based on the original decision by the EPA as to why this Lee location was considered to be problematic.

I stand with HRI and HEAL and we will continue to demand improvements to the Rest of River cleanup decision, including more removal of the toxic PCBs from the river, use of alternative technologies to treat and remove PCBs from the river, its banks and the properties along the river. We will also continue to fight against the decision of locating the dump in Lee or elsewhere in Berkshire County and will gather support to have the dump deconstructed when the technology warrants it.

As any work progresses, I encourage any residential property owner that had any remediation of PCBs by GE, to reach out to EPA lawyers in Boston for a "Comfort Letter" from EPA. These letters protect the owners should there be any future identification of PCBs on their property. They will not be responsible for the cost of remediation at that time. There were over 350 properties investigated and almost 200 properties that were remediated. Properties along the Rest of River work should also get one of these letters, but they are not automatic and must be requested.

Reach out to me should you have additional questions about these letters or other issues concerning any of the past, present or future cleanup procedures. I may be contacted at CPR-Berkshire@outlook.com.

Charles P Cianfarini
Pittsfield Mass.

Cianfarini is interim executive director of Citizens for PCB Removal

Mount Everett Class Touted as 'Little Engines That Could'

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:00PM / Saturday, June 01, 2024

State Rep. Smitty Pignatelli was awarded an honorary Mount Everett diploma on Saturday from Principal Jesse Carpenter. See more photos here. 

LENOX, Mass. — Mount Everett Regional School graduates were touted as the "little engines that could" in a world riddled with conflict.

Thirty students crossed the Tanglewood stage Saturday morning under sunny skies. School Committee Chair Bonnie Silvers explained that when writing her address to the class, she turned to the American folktale "The Little Engine That Could."

"The Mount Everett class of 2024, in my opinion, is so much like that engine. It's small but, boy, is it mighty. These students had the dubious honor of being Mount Everett eighth-graders when the pandemic began and they had to deal with every iteration of national and local edicts directing their education, closed schools, remote learning, hybrid education, combining Zoom and in-person learning, almost weekly changes in health regulations to finally returning to classes in person but with mass distancing, sanitation rules, vaccinations, and worries about additional outbreaks," she said.

"Couple all of this with the fact they've lived through a three-year merger initiative that brought a great deal of uncertainty into many of our communities and as we know, when it affects our communities, it impacts the lives of our students."

She reported never seeing so many students graduating with certificates of biliteracy, one with biliteracy with distinction. The 2024 class earned the most scholarship funds in the last seven years to colleges across the county and has completed more than 230 college credits, she said, "this type of initiative is special."

"They found their voice despite or maybe because of what was happening in the areas of adversity, pandemic, conflict, et cetera," she said.

State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli also pointed to the tumultuous world that the graduates have grown up in.

"Sadly, and I say it, sadly, they have never lived in a world where we have not been at war and the unrest that is experienced here today all over the world and right here at home, the political discourse that we have, the COVID experiences that you guys have experienced and survived and prospered, the 230 college degree credits, that is an amazing accomplishment," he said.