Berkshire Green Drinks: Pittsfield Power Possibilities

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Rosemary Wessel, the Director of Berkshire Environmental Action Team's No Fracked Gas in Mass program, will speak at the November Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, Nov. 20. 
 
This free virtual event will take place online via Zoom and start at 6:00 PM. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. 
 
Learn more and register at tinyurl.com/Nov2024-Berks-Green-Drinks.
 
Rosemary will discuss Berkshire County's last peaking power plant, Pittsfield Generating, and how peak-demand power needs could be met without fossil fuels.
 
A peaking power plant is an electric generating facility that only operates when electricity use is very high, such as on very hot and humid summer days when air conditioning demand is high or on very cold winter days when both heating and electric demand are high. These facilities are usually powered by dirty fuels like oil, natural gas, or kerosene and emit significant amounts of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, a hazardous gas that can cause serious respiratory issues.
 
Join BEAT for this virtual event and learn how transitioning of Pittsfield Generating could be a cornerstone for establishing a clean energy economic zone in the Berkshires while removing one of the last large sources of pollution.
 
Rosemary Wessel is Director for BEAT's No Fracked Gas in Mass program. For ten years, she's been working to stop development of new and remove existing fossil fuel infrastructure while advocating for conversion to clean alternatives.
 
Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that is free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. A guest speaker talks about an environmentally related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM; the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. 
 
Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). 

Tags: BEAT,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories