LSPA News & Blog

Insurance Needed for Cleanup of Accidental Releases of Home Heating Oil

Thank you to the Boston Globe's Sean Murphy for his article highlighting the terrible plight of the Proctors and the hundreds of other homeowners in Massachusetts who face this situation annually. The LSPA is the sponsor of Senate Bill No. 676, An Act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases. This bill would require that all Massachusetts homeowner insurance policies provide coverage for the cleanup of accidental releases of home heating oil. This important pro-consumer, pro-environment bill will help homeowners with the financial burden of addressing accidental spills of their home heating oil, and ensure the prompt cleanup of such spills to better protect groundwater and mitigate damage to the environment.  Please contact your state senator and representative to ask for their support.

 

LSPA Introduces February 2022 Compliance Tip

The following LSPA compliance tip was presented at the February 2022 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on February 16, 2022.  

Compliance Tip:

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UST Board Meetings 2022

LSPA members who are stakeholders of the MassDOR UST Reimbursement Program are encouraged to participate in the public meetings of two subcommittees recently formed by the 21J Board.  One subcommittee is working on the goal of evaluating and updating the Appendix 3 Fee Schedule.  The second group is the Fee Schedule and Policy Review Subcommittee which will evaluate the fee schedule and policies including Board Approved Site Assessments (BASA), reimbursement for analysis of EPH samples, and reimbursement for soil transportation and disposal.

All meetings are listed on the UST Board website.  More details here.

LSPA Introduces New Compliance Tip for January 2022

The following LSPA compliance tip was presented at the January 2022 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on January 27, 2022.  

Compliance Tip:
All LSPs should have recently received an invoice from the LSP Board of Registration indicating that their annual renewal fee of $225 is due by March 1, 2022. Paying this fee in a timely manner is necessary to maintain your license. If you have not yet received an invoice, you should contact the LSP Board at [email protected]. More details about payment can be found at 309 CMR 2.09 Annual Fee. 

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Don't Forget to Update Your LSPA Member Profile Specialties

Now that you have renewed your LSPA membership for 2022, please take a look at this page on the LSPA website. When you click on "Find an LSP," your name, company, and city/town will be searchable. We encourage you to fully complete the "Specialty Field" section of your member profile, as this will allow visitors to the LSPA website to find you by your specialties. You can edit this field at any time. Please see instructions here.
 
Haven’t yet renewed your membership for 2022? Please click here to renew.


Job Postings on LSPA Website

The LSPA website homepage has a drop down menu called Job Postings where a visitor can find the LSPA Job Board; it had ten job openings listed at the time of this writing.  

One recent job opportunity came to us on December 30, 2021 from the MA Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM). They shared a link for an Environmental Project Manager position.
 
If you or someone you know is looking for a job, please remember to bookmark and check this LSPA webpage regularly.  


Three LSPs Discuss LSP Exam Prep

The LSPA's Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC) is dedicated to providing educational & social programs for professionals who are new to environmental consulting in Massachusetts. 

In April 2021, the EPC presented “LSP Exam Prep & Overview" in which three LSPs discussed their experiences preparing for, and taking the LSP exam in 2019 and 2020 (under Covid restrictions). This presentation continues to be timely for anyone planning to take the exam soon, as well as for those curious about and perhaps intimidated by the prospect.

The 90-minute video of this event is available here for your viewing, and also includes an extended Q&A session.   

Learn more about the EPC and connect with committee chairs here.


MassDEP's Listening Session on Management of Contaminated Soil

On Thursday, December 16, 2021, MassDEP held a listening session to learn more about the issues and challenges related to managing contaminated soil. The meeting was hosted by MassDEP’s Liz Callahan (Acting Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup), Greg Cooper (Division Director, Business Compliance & Recycling), and Paul Locke (Acting Deputy Commissioner, Policy & Planning). 
 
The video of this meeting is available on MassDEP’s new soil management discussion page.
 
The LSPA was pleased to see a variety of sectors represented including state agencies, environmental consultants, landfill operators, excavating/recycling contractors, and developers.  
 
Special thanks to LSPA members and others who spoke so convincingly about the current challenges, possible measures for easing the burdens, long term soil re-use options, and other approaches. All need to be seriously considered.
 
The LSPA hopes this is the beginning of future meetings and discussions with MassDEP to address the issues. 
 
For more information about this topic from discussion at a September 2021 MassDEP meeting as well as information on closed and open landfills and other solid waste data and regulations, please visit MassDEP’s new soil management discussion page.

LSPA Introduces December 2021 Compliance Tip of the Month

The following LSPA compliance tip was presented at the December 2021 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on December 14, 2021.  

Compliance Tip:
When using a Method 2 or Method 3 risk characterization to establish a condition of NSR, you must consider reasonably foreseeable, as well as current, site activities and uses. In particular, future vapor intrusion exposures could result from changes in building use or altered building conditions. Potentially problematic activities and uses can be eliminated from consideration in the risk characterization through an appropriate AUL, per 310 CMR 40.0923(3)(b).

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December 2021 Newsletter

LSPA's December 2021 Member Newsletter has been published! Table of Contents is listed below. Please log in to your account and visit Member Materials to view the full newsletter.

In this Issue....

December 15, 2021 Meeting of the UST Board to Discuss Fee Schedules and other Policies

The UST Petroleum Product Cleanup Fund Administrative Review Board (UST Board) has assembled a Subcommittee to discuss updates to the Appendix 3 Fee Schedule and other policies of the UST Board. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday December 15, 2021 from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM. The meeting will be held via Zoom video conferencing. This is an open public meeting and participation from UST owners, technical consultants, and other interested parties is encouraged.
 
The meeting notice and Zoom link has been posted on the UST Board website here
 
The LSPA will have representatives in attendance.


LSPA Announces October 2021 Compliance Tip

The following LSPA compliance tip was presented at the October 2021 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on October 28, 2021.  

Compliance Tip:
Even if you have demonstrated that no Imminent Hazard exists and there is a condition of No Significant Risk at your site, you still need to address a Critical Exposure Pathway (CEPif one has been identified.  As required by 310 CMR 40.0414(3)&(4), you must conduct response actions to eliminate, prevent, and/or mitigate the CEP, or submit documentation that it is not feasible to do so.  

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MassDEP Listening Session Dec 16: Disposal Capacity Issues for Contaminated Soil

The Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is holding a listening session on disposal capacity issues for contaminated soil coming from Massachusetts disposal sites (“contaminated” soil meaning concentrations > RCS-2).  This session will help MassDEP better understand the scope and impact of contaminated soil disposal issues and identify possible avenues for addressing them. 

The listening session is planned for December 16 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, to be held via Zoom, and hosted by MassDEP’s Liz Callahan (Acting Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup), Greg Cooper (Division Director, Business Compliance & Recycling), and Paul Locke (Acting Deputy Commissioner, Policy & Planning).  

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LSPA Introduces November 2021 Compliance Tip

The following LSPA compliance tip was presented at the November 2021 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on November 17, 2021.  

Compliance Tip:
Once a Notice of Activity and Use Limitation (AUL) has been filed, the Disposal Site should be reviewed periodically to confirm that the conditions and obligations contained in the AUL are being complied with and/or maintained (310 CMR 40.1070, et seq.). MassDEP routinely performs field audits of sites with AULs, often several years after filing. LSPs should remind their clients that compliance with AUL conditions and obligations is required, and should document these reminders.

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LSPA Testimony on S. 676 Home Heating Oil Insurance

Led by Susan Crane (Attorney) and Kevin Beaulieu (LSP), the LSPA assembled a team to testify before the MA Legislature’s Joint Committee on Financial Services on October 20, 2021, in support of Senate Bill 676, An Act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases.  Three homeowners recently impacted by spills, and shocked to learn the releases were not covered by their homeowners insurance, shared their unfortunate experiences.  An insurance industry spokesperson was the only person to testify against the bill. 

The LSPA was pleased that legislators had many follow-up questions that (we thought) showed their interest in pushing insurance companies to take a more active interest in addressing this issue.

To view the relevant portion of the hearing, click here – LSPA testimony begins at 16:25 and runs until 41.20. The testimony of the MA Insurance Federation representative on S. 676 runs from 42:25 to 45:40.  Q&A from legislators runs from 52:10 to 58:30.

The LSPA will continue to monitor progress on the bill, and pursue options for more visibility on the issue.


Legislative Update: LSPA’s Home Heating Oil Insurance Bill

NBC Boston ran this story on September 22, 2021 to again highlight the devastating and costly impacts of residential heating oil spills, especially for those without insurance coverage.  The LSPA continues to work with Senator Anne M. Gobi to pass S. 676, our bill that would require insurance companies to provide coverage for the approximately 700,000 homeowners who do not have it.  For two sessions, this bill has received a favorable report from the legislature's Joint Committee on Financial Services.  

For more information about the LSPA's bill, please read our fact sheet and this additional information which includes TV news coverage.

September 2021 Newsletter

LSPA's September 2021 Member Newsletter has been published! Table of Contents is listed below. Please log in to your account and visit Member Materials to view the full newsletter.

In this Issue....

LSPA Introduces NEW September 2021 Practice Tip

The following LSPA practice tip was presented at the September 2021 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on September 14, 2021.  

Practice Tip - MassDEP’s Private Well PFAS Testing
MassDEP is conducting free PFAS testing for a limited number of private wells, focusing on 84 Massachusetts towns where 60% or more of residents are served by private wells. Practitioners should know about MassDEP’s Story Map which is regularly updated to present the results of this private well sampling to date.

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MassDEP’s June 2021 Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Committee Meeting

MassDEP’s Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (BWSC) Advisory Committee meeting was held on June 24, 2021. The meeting covered several timely items; the meeting recording can be found here under June 24, 2021 Discussion Items and the meeting slides are here.

Topics covered included:
  • Regional Personnel Updates  
  • MCP Amendments
    • Internal MassDEP approvals expected to be completed this summer with final regulations published in the fall
    • Training for LSP credit, and Q & As specific to the amendments to follow
    • MassDEP also expects to finalize guidance documents related to final amendments including risk characterization
  • Subscribe to MassDEP Notifications 
  • Compendium of Analytical Methods (CAM) Update
    • Revised CAM protocols for 8260 (Volatile Organic Compounds) and 8270 (Semivolatiles)
    • Revised protocols posted on July 22, 2021 and take effect November 5, 2021 
  • Technical Assistance Grants and MOSPRA Grant Program Premier  
  • Assessing Climate Vulnerability at 21E Sites 
  • PFAS in Massachusetts
    • An excellent comprehensive review of the status of PFAS related efforts over the years and currently underway, including links to databases on MassDEP website
  • Office Hours and WSCAC Meetings
    • MassDEP plans to continue holding virtual meetings - Thursday morning “office hours” and Thursday morning WSCAC meetings both on the 4th Thursday of the month.  
    • Next Advisory Committee meeting is Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 9:00 am

PRF77 RFR on COMMBUYS now - 8/5 pre-bid conference

The LSPA received the following email from Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM). Please contact DCAMM directly if you have any questions.


DCAMM is providing the following information that may be of interest to your membership.  Please feel free to forward.

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