Pittsfield City Council: Make Polluters Pay

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:57AM / Friday, October 17, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The City Council supports statewide efforts to make the largest polluters pay.

On Tuesday, it voted to back Bill H.1014/S.588, "An Act Establishing a Climate Change Superfund," which is expected to generate $75 billion over 25 years from the largest oil and gas companies. Councilor At Large Alisa Costa and Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren requested their colleagues' support for the legislation.

"I think it's really important to hold businesses accountable in ways that we are not able to do right now," Costa said.

"…We see the impacts of climate on our community every day, whether it's our drought, fires, the increasing cost to just maintain our homes, upgrade, or build now. I mean, it just impacts so much in our community and our ability to thrive, never mind the rising of asthma in children and all those other things. So I think it's really important that we create the tools that will hold businesses accountable, because their goal isn't to protect us. Their goal is to make money. It's our job as city council and as government to protect our citizens and our climate."

Earlier this month, climate activists gathered at Westside Riverway Park to discuss the Make Polluters Pay bill and how climate change has affected the region.

Warren explained that municipalities are supporting this, and Pittsfield would be the first in Berkshire County. He pointed to the city’s struggles with PCB pollution after General Electric vacated the area, and the struggle to mitigate damage even after a legal settlement.

"So I think the Superfund is a great idea," he said.

"It leverages pay in from the companies that do this, and all we're doing is approving it so that the state can see that there is interest in this."

Jane Winn, former executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, said those who polluted the atmosphere should pay for the damage.

"Even as climate costs rise, fossil fuel profits continue to soar. The payers into the Climate Superfund will be fossil fuel extractors that were responsible for the most emissions, limiting the total number of payers to the biggest polluters, those who polluted the most," she said during public comment.

"Community members shouldn't have to pay for the full cost of bigger, better road stream crossings that won't wash away with our more intense storms. We shouldn't have to bear the full cost of fighting wildfires made much more likely by drought caused by climate change. We shouldn't have to pay for retrofitting municipal buildings to add air filters to keep wildfire smoke from polluting our indoor air and add air conditioning, something that wasn't necessary when I was growing up in Pittsfield."

"Municipal resolutions show power. When our city council shows their support for Make Polluters Pay, they send a clear signal along with a literal letter to the State House: We want climate resilience, and the worst polluters should have to pay their fair share."

The resolution explains that Pittsfield needs additional funding for necessary climate adaptation and resilience projects, and the proposed state legislation allocates 40 percent of the funding to projects

benefitting environmental justice communities.

"If passed, this bill would establish a climate change superfund into which the largest oil and gas companies would pay $75 billion over 25 years, with each company's share proportional to their contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2018 and would provide the means for Pittsfield and other cities like it to adapt to climate impacts more adequately, equitably and meaningfully," the resolution reads.

Ward 3 Councilor Matthew Wrinn voted in opposition.

"I don't think I know enough, and I've talked to a few of my people that I represent, and this is more of a want than a need, I think, so I don't think I could support it tonight," he explained.

"But I definitely, personally think this is a good idea in the right direction, but I'm leaning towards respecting my constituents."

Tags: pollution,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Now's the time...

to harvest value from your home. Click for more details about a HELOC. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

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

PCTV Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Community

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:00PM / Tuesday, September 22, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Many fans, workers, past workers, and city officials gathered at the Berkshire Hills Country Club Friday night to celebrate Pittsfield Community Television turning 40.

The room was alive with people eating, laughing, taking photos in a photo booth and watching snippets from PCTV's past archived programs throughout the decades curated by Operations Manager Dave Cachet.

President of the Board of Directors Sue Doucette acknowledged everyone in attendance and thanked the volunteers who help or have helped bring PCTV to the screen.

She reflected on how much technology has changed since 1986 and on PCTV's role in covering parades, debates and election-night precinct results

"You heard it and saw it yourself, and you can interpret it your way. Not everybody has this, but we in Berkshire County do, and we need to be forever grateful to the people that have come before us and made this possible. So, for me personally, I love the staff at PCTV and the board members. I never begrudge going to a meeting. I like these people," she said.

Executive Director Shawn Serre said he feels as though this is their "Eras Tour," referencing Taylor Swift's record-breaking concert series. He reminisced about PCTV's eras.

"The first of our eras is the founders' era, that time when this was just an idea tossed around among colleagues with various skills and with an interest in creating a local source of television, but with no funding, no equipment, no facility, no staff, no volunteers other than themselves," he said.

He said the next era starts with PCTV's move to Fourth Street. At this point, they named their first executive director Garrett McCarey and built their first facility at 163 Fourth Street. They made community connections, programs, and learned the ropes, he said, adding that they "pushed the boundaries of what public access could accomplish".

He said the next era is their Federico era, led by former Executive Director Bernard Avalle and changing technology.

"Under his leadership, we moved our entire facility from the old building to a custom-built studio and offices. We expanded from one cable channel to three. We went from analog to digital to high definition," Cachet said. " We went from videotapes to DVDs to video servers and files. We had as many as seven staff members and grew the program. We designed and purchased a mobile production truck. We covered so many meetings, so many meetings. Viewers would look to us with trust on election nights, onn the Fourth of July, at sports events, and at special events. We have become a part of the fabric of life in Pittsfield."

And finally, the multi-platform era.

"Otherwise known as everything, everywhere, all at once. That's what it feels like. It's when we expanded our reach by saving WTBR FM from the wrecking ball and operating it. When we greatly expanded our PCTV sports program of live broadcasts from just about anywhere, we couldn't have imagined being able to do that early on," he said. "It's when, in the depths of the pandemic, we not only continued our regular broadcast and never stopped, but we also launched PCTV Select to provide high-quality video streams, live streams, and video on demand worldwide. When we started Park Square Productions to provide high-quality production services to clients and contribute to our mission."

He said their next era is still being shaped and will need the community to help.

"The next era, well, that one has to be shaped by you, by all of us actually, because after 40 years, we realize the only constant is change, and we know that while cable TV is at the moment still our sugar daddy, it won't be around forever," Cachet said. "But we know how important the kinds of services that we provide are, and the demand to not disappear."

Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier said local journalism is important and will save democracy. She presented PCTV a citation from the state House of Representatives signed by her and the Speaker of the House.

View Full Story