The MassDEP, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup is currently accepting applications for its FY25-26 Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs) funding opportunity. This grant opportunity provides $200,000 in funding, with up to $20,000 per award to support community and municipal groups in fostering public participation in decisions related to assessment and cleanup activities at oil or hazardous material disposal sites. Recipients of TAGs may use funds to access expert advice and technical assistance, and to facilitate community education for qualifying projects.

The application submission deadline is 5pm on September 6, 2024.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued the newest installment of and opened a public comment period on its Risk Characterization Guidance; this draft guidance covers Chapters 6-10 of the longer document. All pertinent information has been posted to MassDEP’s MCP Amendments web page.

With this email, the LSPA’s Regulations and Technical Practices Committees are soliciting comments on this latest document; the LSPA will be providing comments to MassDEP by close of business on September 12, 2024. 

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced that the application for the FY2025-26 Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) is now available. This grant opportunity provides $200,000 in funding, with up to $20,000 per community or municipal applicant group selected for an award, to enhance public involvement and promote a better understanding of the cleanup of contaminated sites in their communities. 

The application deadline is Friday, September 6, 2024.

MassDEP Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program 
FY25-26 Opportunity and Application
Anticipated Release Date:  June 4, 2024

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the FY25-26 Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs) funding opportunity. TAGs aim to support community and municipal groups in fostering public participation in decisions related to assessment and cleanup activities at oil or hazardous material disposal sites. Recipients of TAGs may use funds to access expert advice and technical assistance, and to facilitate community education for qualifying projects. 

MassDEP’s deadlines for written comments have been extended to June 5, 2024 for both guidance documents currently posted on the MCP Amendments web page: “Risk Characterization Guidance, Chapters 1-5, Public Review Draft” and “Interim Guidance on Implementing Activity and Use Limitations.”

The two LSPA groups reviewing these guidance documents are still looking for comments. If you want to join the review group or have comments you wish to share on the Risk Characterization Guidance, please contact [email protected] by no later than May 9th. 

The following LSPA compliance tip was introduced at the March 2024 Membership Meeting, which was held remotely on March 14, 2024 via Zoom.  

LSPA Compliance Tip of the Month
Per 310 CMR 40.1406 of the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP), an “Informational Notice to Property Owners” BWSC Form 122 must be completed to advise an owner that their property falls within the boundaries of a disposal site. The MCP specifies when such written notices must be provided and what information they must contain. Copies of all written notices required must be submitted to MassDEP with the corresponding Phase II Report or Permanent or Temporary Solution Statement. 

A MassDEP BWSC Advisory Committee meeting was held on February 15, 2024. This webpage has slides and video from the meeting. Some highlights are below.

In this video, Brian Roden, BWSC Audits and Enforcement Coordinator, provides a summary of the 2024 MCP Amendments for AEPMMs addressing Vapor Intrusion.

Liz Callahan is retiring from MassDEP after 38 years with the Waste Site Cleanup Program and stepping down from her role as Acting Assistant Commissioner, effective March 2, 2024. Liz joined MassDEP’s Northeast Regional Office in 1986 as an Environmental Analyst I and was thrilled a few years later to be part of the team that drafted and implemented the “new” MCP for the Commonwealth’s privatized cleanup program. Prior to serving as Assistant Commissioner, Liz worked in various BWSC roles in the Boston and Northeast Region, including as Division Director for Policy and Program Development, managing many rounds of MCP amendments.

Millie Garcia-Serrano will be taking over for Liz as BWSC’s Assistant Commissioner on March 2nd. Millie, who holds a Master’s in Public Health, brings a wealth of experience to her new position, most recently as the Regional Director of MassDEP’s Southeast Regional Office. Millie’s past experience includes serving as the President of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO), Chair of the Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals (LSP Board), and as the Southeast Regional Office’s Deputy Regional Director for BWSC. Liz Callahan will be working to support this leadership transition and ongoing MCP amendment implementation efforts through the end of March. 

On Friday, March 1, 2024, MassDEP’s Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (BWSC) shared several important updates to the BWSC program and the MCP.

2024 Amendments to the Massachusetts Contingency Plan, effective March 1 2024 
Amendments to the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP), 310 CMR 40.0000, the Commonwealth’s rules for the notification, assessment and cleanup of oil and hazardous material releases, threats of release, and disposal sites under MGL c. 21E take effect today. The MCP will be published by the Secretary of State in a supplemental register next week, and hard copies will be available at the State House Bookstore (for information on ordering copies click here).

The following LSPA practice tip was introduced at the February 2024 Membership Meeting, which was held remotely on February 13, 2024 via Zoom.  

Practice Tip of the Month
Many municipalities have areas designated for the protection of groundwater quality to ensure its availability for use as a source of potable water supply (e.g., Aquifer Protection Districts).

In anticipation of March 1, 2024, when the MCP Amendments go into effect, the LSPA’s Regulations Committee has been working on summarizing key changes to the MCP regulations. 

Provided below is a summary of the new regulations on a variety of topics not covered by previous LSPA email blasts. This information was developed and is provided on behalf of the LSPA only; it does not represent MassDEP guidance or other input. 

The following LSPA practice tip was introduced at the January 2024 Membership Meeting, which was held remotely on January 17, 2024 via Zoom.  

Practice Tip of the Month

The LSPA received the following email from MassDEP's Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup on Friday. 

Dear Waste Site Cleanup Program stakeholder,

The following LSPA compliance tip was introduced at the December 2023 Membership Meeting, which was held remotely on December 12, 2023 via Zoom.  

Compliance Tip of the Month

On November 20, 2023, the LSPA sent a white paper to MassDEP entitled “Recommendations for Risk Management Under the MCP for Trichloroethene Exposures Based on Updated Toxicological Information.” The paper was prepared under the auspices of the LSPA’s Technical Practices Committee by Jay Peters of Haley & Aldrich, Inc. and Marie Rudiman of EnviroRisk Solutions, LLC. 

Based on evaluation of the updated scientific evidence referenced in this paper, the LSPA concurs with the findings of EPA studies and others that the association of TCE exposure with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is not scientifically supported. The LSPA proposes that MassDEP seriously reconsider and reevaluate the weight of evidence for TCE-induced CHDs and revise its risk management framework for TCE to be based on the chronic immunological endpoint, rather than the developmental effects endpoint. The paper notes that this would have the following implications for the regulation of TCE in Massachusetts:

In anticipation of March 1, 2024, when the MCP Amendments go into effect, the LSPA’s Regulations Committee has been working on summarizing key changes to the new regulations. 

Provided below is a brief summary of the new regulations on the topics of

Congrats to New LSPs

 Ten New LSPs Join the Ranks

The LSP Board of Registration recently announced that the following ten new LSPs passed the exam in early November. The LSPA congratulates each of them on this impressive accomplishment and applauds this new milestone in their practice. 

Provided below is new information from both US EPA and MassDEP.

Ongoing Updates on MCP-Related Information
Watch this space on the MassDEP website for updates and “related information” on the 2024 MCP. At this time, updates include:

In anticipation of March 1, 2024, when the MCP Amendments go into effect, the LSPA’s Regulations Committee has been working on summarizing key changes to the MCP regulations. 

Provided below is a summary of the new regulations on the topic of Active Exposure Pathway Mitigation Measures (AEPMMS). This information was developed and is provided on behalf of the LSPA only; it does not represent MassDEP guidance or other input. MassDEP training is expected to take place in January 2024.