LEE, Mass. Town Leaders have scheduled a "Save the Housatonic" rally in Boston at Sam Adams Park in front of Faneuil Hall on Thursday, Feb. 27 at noon.
Lee Town Administrator Christopher Brittain hopes this will raise awareness of Housatonic River pollution in the eastern part of the state.
"We're trying to get the word about this out to a different audience, to a different media, as well as, again, there's a lot of whether it be political, or EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], or GE [General Electric] they are all in that area," Brittain said.
The 2020 Settlement Agreement between General Electric and the Environmental Protection Agency mandated remediation efforts concerning polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination within the Housatonic River. This agreement stipulated that GE undertake cleanup operations while concurrently facilitating the exploration of advanced technologies for PCB mitigation.
The Housatonic River was contaminated with PCBs and other chemical waste products by the General Electric Company between 1932 and 1977. The contamination stretches from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through Connecticut, and into Long Island Sound.
Adams Park is less than a mile from GE's Boston office.
Town leaders, environmental experts, and even Lee Elementary School 4th grader Jenny Hogencamp will speak at the rally.
"Her family has a small farm and lives within a very short distance of the proposed UDF [Upland Disposal Facility] site," Brittain said.
Other people speaking will be Lee select board members Bob Jones, Sean Regnier and Gordon Bailey. State Representative Leigh Davis will speak as well as environmental and health advocates.
Brittain expressed that there are alternative methods to clean the Housatonic River, besides the UFD method specified in the cleanup permit. He wants to raise awareness about these other options.
"The permit does not set a minimum that GE has to take out of state, it only sets a maximum for what they have to book in the Berkshires in addition to that the permit also states the use of emerging technologies and alternative methods," said Brittain.
He claimed that the GE is only motivated by cost savings to avoid alternative PCB cleanups.
"There is a better way to do this clean up, and the company that polluted the river is not doing an adequate clean up in order for them to save money. That's the point we want to make at this event," he said.
Brittain stated that the Housatonic River Initiative will sponsor a bus for anyone who wishes to join them. Those interested can call him at (413) 409-5976 to reserve a seat. He also welcomed those who prefer to provide their own transportation and show their support.
"We're really excited for the lineup of speakers,” he said. “We have a lot of people joining us and we are really grateful for that and I think it should be a really good event."
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County's 'Super Six' Head to Final Four
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
Out of 10 No. 1 seeds in the MIAA basketball tournaments this winter – five boys, five girls – nine are still playing.
Those nine did not have to play the Lee High girls basketball team.
The ninth-seeded Wildcats pulled off arguably the season’s biggest upset on Saturday when they upended No. 1 Hopedale to reach this week’s state semi-final round.
On Sunday afternoon, the Lee girls got together to celebrate their Final Four berth in style, cutting down one of the nets in their gymnasium and boarding a flatbed for a parade down Main Street.
Senior captain Mia Puleri said that Lee, which trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter on Saturday, was just the kind of team that could overcome that deficit on the road in a hostile environment against a heavy favorite.
“I think that our team is very level-headed,” Puleri said. “It’s something that we really pride ourselves on – not getting too excited, in the sense that that can go too fast and you can be almost too emotional sometimes.
“So we try to stay very even keeled, which means not getting too down or getting too high before the game is over. I think in the second half yesterday, when the pressure was building on Hopedale, we were still very even, because we had nothing to lose. We were the nine seed. They were the one seed.”
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Devyn Fillio Sunday won the boys and girls individual high school bowling State Championships at Spare Time.
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Lee Town Administrator Christopher Brittain hopes this will raise awareness of Housatonic River pollution in the eastern part of the state. click for more
Capped by Sam St. Peter’s come-from-behind win in the final bout of the day to win the 285 crown, the Spartans placed second at the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Championships at Mount Greylock. click for more