George Wislocki addresses the Department of Environmental Protection representatives at Thursday's sparsely attended meeting.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A contingent of local environmental advocates expressed cautious endorsement Thursday night on a proposed amendment to the state's regulation of hazardous waste disposal — to the extent that they understand it.

 

At the sparsely attended hearing at the Berkshire Athenaeum, representatives of a cluster of concerned organizations were unanimous in the complaint that news of  the proposed regulation change by the Department of Environmental Protection came too late for interested parties to prepare comment, or in many cases even attend the meeting.

 

"This just caught everyone off guard," said Barbara Cianfiarini, co-founder of the Citizens for PCB Removal.

 

Representatives of the DEP say the proposed regulation amendment would effectively prohibit, in most cases, hazardous waste sites from being located in or near designated "Areas of Critical Environmental Concern" in the Commonwealth.  Currently these sites are protected by law from development of solid waste sites, but not hazardous or toxic waste.

 

"This regulation change is intended to close that gap," said DEP officer Catherine Skiba.

 

Five out of 30 of the state's designated ACEC areas are in Berkshire County, and residents who attended the Pittsfield hearing were clear in their support of anything that would help keep toxic waste dumps out of the area. ACECs are determined "because of the quality, uniqueness and significance of their natural and cultural resources," according to DEP. 

 

"I don't want any more toxic waste dumps here or in any Areas of Critical Environmental Concern," said Valerie Anderson, a member of the Housatonic Clean River Coalition. "We have already endured enough toxic waste dumps in Berkshire County."

 

While reactions to the concept of increased regulation to prevent such sites were universally positive, most in attendance were critical of a perceived lack of notice about the hearings, one which drew three people in Lenox Thursday morning and twice that number in Pittsfield in the evening.  DEP representatives said that while required legal notices were run three weeks in advance of the hearing, a press release was not distributed to media until the day prior. 

 

 

"I'm sure there would be more people here if this had been better publicized," said Anderson, who indicated that even the member organizations of the Citizens Coordinating Council that has been interfacing with the DEP regularly for years were not notified until the last minute. "This is a hot topic in the Berkshires right now."

 

Local dump sites have been proposed recently by General Electric in ongoing negotiation over the "Rest of the River" cleanup of the Housatonic south of Pittsfield, a possibility that has been vehemently opposed by these organizations and most local lawmakers.

 

"Even people in the know didn't have time to do their homework," said Pittsfield City Council candidate Mark Miller of the regulation change. "I don't know whether to be for or against it."

 

Miller and others cited concerns about the vague language of the amendment. In most cases it prohibits hazardous waste facilities that would be near or impacting to ACECs, but outlines no specifics for that proximity or impact.

 

"I would like to see a specific distance well defined," said Cianfarini.

 

"I think the more fiber you put into this piece of cloth, the stronger it gets," said George Wislocki, founder of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.

 

DEP Senior Engineer David Howland said public input gathered in these meetings will be considered, and responded to in a document prepared by the agency, along with a final draft of the department's proposed change. The period of public comment will continue with one more hearing in Boston on Aug. 8, and remain open for comment until 5 p.m. on Aug. 23.  

 

Comments on the proposed regulation may be directed to John Fischer, Branch Chief of Commercial Waste Reduction & Waste Planning at john.fischer@state.ma.us or in hard copy to John Fischer, MassDEP, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108.