By: Isaac Anderson, Project Manager, Cooperstown Environmental and LSPA Technical Practices Committee Member

Many of you know that the 2010 Remediation General Permit (RGP), issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 (EPA) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), expired in September 2015. As noted in the LSPA email blast sent on September 15, 2016, the Draft RGP was published in the Federal Register on August 18, 2016, and EPA accepted public comments until September 19, 2016. What many of you are left wondering is, what happens next, and what should you do in the interim if you have a project that requires coverage under the RGP before the new RGP is available?

The LSPA Young Professionals hosted a successful networking and trivia night at Lowell Beerworks on December 7, 2016. Six teams competed in general knowledge trivia for prizes. The first place team, comprised of Eric Andrews, Amanda Cantara, Ryan Farrell, Kate Hanrahan, and Michael Penzo, won by a large margin. A tense tie-breaker decided the second and third place teams.

A special thanks to LSPA Platinum sponsor, Alpha Analytical, for providing prizes to the top three teams and also offering extra prizes for bonus questions!

With the support and participation of over 800 members, and generous corporate and event sponsors, 
the LSPA was able to accomplish a great deal in 2016. Some highlights include:

There will be a BWSC Greener Cleanups Workgroup Meeting on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at MassDEP, One Winter Street, Boston, Conference room A-2212 (click here for directions). The preliminary agenda will include a presentation/discussion of the following:  

1.       Clean Energy Legislative & Regulatory Updates 

MassDEP Honors Four LSP Association Members With Greener Cleanups Awards

Belmont, MA (November 2016) – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the state agency responsible for the cleanup of oil and hazardous waste sites and spills, recently honored four members of the LSP Association (LSPA) with Greener Cleanups Awards at the LSPA’s September Membership Meeting in Newton, MA.

The Greener Cleanups Awards were presented to the following Licensed Site Professionals (LSPs) and their clients for demonstrating professional stewardship in promoting Greener Cleanup principles and practices to reduce the overall net environmental footprint of hazardous waste site cleanup response actions implemented under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan:

November 16, 2016
The LSPA's Loss Prevention Committee, unveiled the following monthly compliance tip at November's Membership Meeting.

As mentioned at the MassDEP Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Committee meeting last month, there will be a meeting on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 to discuss possible revisions to the Massachusetts Contingency Plan provisions concerning Imminent Hazards.

The meeting will be begin at 9:30 am and will be located in Conference Room C on the 2^nd floor of MassDEP’s 1 Winter Street, Boston office.  (The duration of the meeting will depend upon the depth and breadth of the discussion. The room is reserved until 12:00 pm.) Please click here for directions.  

Top Takeaways from October 27, 2016 MassDEP WSCAC Meeting & Planned Nov. 16^th Meeting on Imminent Hazard Approach

LSPA Regulations Committee members were in attendance at the recent Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Committee (WSCAC) meeting held on October 27, 2016. The meeting was moderated by Paul Locke, and included presentations by Gerard Martin and Liz Callahan. A video of the meeting is available here and slides are available here. 

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is partnering with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards (MAHB) to host a MAHB Certificate Program. The LSPA has been asked to present at these workshops. This is the only training program that is specifically targeted to elected and appointed Board of Health members. Many health agents and public health nurses also attend, and MAHB provides registered sanitarian, CHO and nursing CEUs. 

On November 5, at the Taunton Holiday Inn, the LSPA program, “Case Study of a Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup,” is being offered from 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM. This presentation is part of Track #2, Community & Environmental Health. The following LSPA Members will be speaking:

Thank you to all who attended the 2016 LSPA Annual Dinner. What a great way to kick off the new LSPA year! It was a wonderful night and great to see so many LSPA members, clients, and friends. The LSPA experienced record-breaking attendance, received incredible sponsorship support, presented a very interesting speaker and hosted a successful silent auction to support the LSPA Scholarship Fund.

We were pleased to honor three very deserving colleagues. Big congratulations goes out to: 

MassDEP Finalizes Vapor Intrusion Guidance

As of Monday, October 17, 2016, MassDEP's Vapor Intrusion guidance document is final.  

The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) will be holding its Annual Environmental Conference 2017 on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. For the first time, the MACC Annual Environmental Conference (AEC) will include a college student poster session. The poster session is an opportunity to promote and highlight your thesis work, special project, etc., to the more than 700 expected attendees at the conference. The MACC seeks poster submissions from college undergraduate and graduate students. Click here to learn more.

For a Limited Time…
Complimentary Viewing of ASTM’s Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups

Join the EBC Young Environmental Professionals and the LSPA Young Professionals for a networking night at Harpoon Brewery in Boston’s Seaport. Mix and mingle with colleagues in the environmental and energy sectors and expand your network. These are the connections that will carry you through your career! 

All-you-can-eat pretzels, beer, and a tour of the Harpoon facility are included in the registration fee. Registration is capped at 50 – be sure to register today! Please note: there is a $15 registration fee which includes, pretzels, beer, and a facility tour. View Attendee List. 

The LSP Association (LSPA) is getting social - and it's about time! We recently kicked off three social media initiatives. See below for details. Do you have something you want posted? Please email [email protected] and remember, it's always great to get accompanying photos! We would also appreciate any topical suggestions or feedback. Looking forward to hearing from you.