Senator Ives: We Can’t Lose Our Water Independence

By: State Senator Kathleen Ives (D) Newburyport October, 2013 Last week, I gave testimony before the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in support of two important pieces of legislation before the committee. I spoke in support of House Bill 695, “An Act Preventing the Disposal of Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater” and House Bill […]

Mayor Fiorentini and the Board of Health Remove Ban for Outdoor Activities for Schools and Recreation due to Cold Weather

  HAVERHILL- After careful assessment with the Board of Health, Mayor James J. Fiorentini with the recommendation of the Board of Health has removed the outdoor activities ban due to cold weather. At this time of year, the evening temperatures drop below 50 degrees and mosquitos are less active, die or hibernate for the winter. […]

An $80 Million Lie: Sisters Discover Sewer Project 100% Paid for with Grant Money

PART I By: Tom Duggan – September, 2013 Gracemarie and Joyce Tomaselli say they are days away from losing their property in Salisbury because town officials have retaliated against them because they blew the lid on what they call, “the $80 Million lie.” Dubbed the Sleuth Sisters, Joyce and Gracemarie have been investigating a sewer […]

BREAKING…. West Nile Virus Confirmed in Mosquitoes from Methuen

BREAKING…. West Nile Virus Confirmed in Mosquitoes from Methuen

Mayor Stephen Zanni and the City of Methuen Board of Health want to inform residents that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced today that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Methuen along the I-93 corridor. The City is working with Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control (NEMMC) to identify a […]

Mayor Orders Mosquito Spraying in Haverhill due to Mosquitoes Testing Positive for WNV

Mayor Orders Mosquito Spraying in Haverhill due to Mosquitoes Testing Positive for WNV

HAVERHILL- Mayor James J. Fiorentini has ordered mosquito control spraying to occur overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 3rd and 4th, from 9PM until midnight. The Department of Public Health has notified us that two mosquitoes have tested positive in Haverhill for West Nile virus. No human cases have been discovered and no cases of […]

MassDEP Inspection of Cobham Electronic Systems in Lowell Reveals Hazardous Waste Management Violations; $8,580 Penalty Issued

  BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized Cobham Electronic Systems of Lowell $8,580 after an inspection revealed hazardous waste management violations that included an incomplete contingency or emergency plan. MassDEP also determined that the company had failed to train its facility personnel on the management of hazardous waste, and there were […]

MassDEP Assesses $3,000 Penalty Against Haverhill Contractor for Asbestos Violations at Former Fitchburg Gas & Electric Site

MassDEP Assesses $3,000 Penalty Against Haverhill Contractor for Asbestos Violations at Former Fitchburg Gas & Electric Site

From MassDEP BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a $3,000 penalty against Absolute Environmental Contractors, Inc. of Haverhill for the company’s failure to follow asbestos removal procedures required by MassDEP regulations at a job site in Fitchburg.  During an August 2012 inspection of the former Fitchburg Gas and Electric power […]

City of Methuen Awarded $9,000 to Replace Trees

Methuen Mayor Steve Zanni announced last month that Methuen has qualified for matching funds through the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s (DCR) Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant Program. Mayor Zanni and members of the Methuen Arbor Group joined with Groundwork Lawrence last November to apply for this funding through DCR. The coordinated grant proposal […]

Human Interference and the Minimum Wage: A Rodent Love Story

As a former zookeeper and environmental educator, I understand the delicate balance required to sustain any ecosystem. The story of the rat-like nutria, Myocastor coypus, and its invasion of New Orleans, is a perfect example of how humans, convinced they know better, can make a major mess of things. A mere 20 of these 12-pound […]

PJ Keating Company Agrees to Restore Damage to Wetlands Area in Dracut, Caused by its Quarry

PJ Keating Company Agrees to Restore Damage to Wetlands Area in Dracut, Caused by its Quarry

Asphalt Operation in Dracut Penalized $54,150, company agrees to Improve Street Drainage for Surrounding area BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized PJ Keating Company $54,150 due to wetlands and water quality violations at its property on Bridge Street in Dracut. PJ Keating Company, a foreign corporation with a local office in Lunenberg, […]

New School Math: Spend $4M to Save $40k? Article 19 North Andover Town Meeting Vote Expected May 21

By: Clare Donegan NORTH ANDOVER: Town Meeting voters are considering a $4M expenditure involving 16 municipal buildings, including 8 schools. If the contract is awarded to AMERESCO the $40k study will be “free.”  Forty percent is allocated for “new energy management systems” that communicate using wireless microwave radiation. Why install expensive infrastructure, which increases security […]

Triumvirate Environmental, Inc. Penalized $17,250 for Hazardous Waste Management Violations in Lowell

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized Triumvirate Environmental (Merrimack), Inc. $17,250 for hazardous waste management violations found at the company’s hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility at 263 Howard Street in Lowell. On September 21, 2011, a MassDEP inspection found: a double-stacked pallet of hazardous waste that was not stored […]

Defendants Pay $4.25 Million Settlement for Restoring Natural Resources at Industri-plex Superfund Site in Woburn

Defendants Pay $4.25 Million Settlement for Restoring Natural Resources at Industri-plex Superfund Site in Woburn

  BOSTON – State and federal officials have received a $4.25 million settlement from the Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc. for damages to natural resources at the Industri-plex Superfund site in Woburn, Mass. Contaminants from this site significantly impacted resources in the Aberjona River and the surrounding watershed.  “With this settlement, we can fund a […]

MassDEP Fines Methuen Woman $42,975 for Numerous Environmental Violations at Springfield Rental Property

 BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a $42,975 penalty to Ms. Rubia Avila of Methuen for violating environmental regulations at her two-family residential rental property, located at 34-36 Cliftwood Street in Springfield. On August 26, 2012, MassDEP responded to Ms. Avila’s property in conjunction with Springfield public safety officials, to […]