As of this morning, the LSP Board has new information regarding LSP license renewals on its website. That information is copied below.
Updated: Jul. 2nd, 2020, 8:30 am
As of this morning, the LSP Board has new information regarding LSP license renewals on its website. That information is copied below.
Updated: Jul. 2nd, 2020, 8:30 am
The following LSPA resource tip was presented at the June 2020 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on June 18, 2020.
LSPA Resource Tip for More Resilient and Sustainable Remediation Solutions
This 20-minute video created by Phil Platcow, Senior Vice President for Health & Safety at The Vertex Companies, Inc., shows us how to get our home workspace set up for ergonomic success! Phil covers several different areas including what ergonomics is and how to have the proper at home set-up. He even tackles how to avoid distractions and provides information on our overall wellness. A BIG thank you to Phil and VERTEX for sharing their content with the LSPA and it's members. We hope you all enjoy the video.
BWSC Q & A: Covid-19 Edition
At last week's BWSC Office Hours, Paul Locke, BWSC Assistant Commissioner, announced that MassDEP has added a new question to the MCP Q & A: Covid-19 Edition. The question pertains to Limited Removal Action (LRA) Extensions.
The question is whether extensions will be granted in situations where there is an inability to meet the 120-day deadline for completing an LRA. In this case the delay is due to construction shutdowns in Boston.
MassDEP's response is:
If your client cannot conduct the Limited Removal Action prior to the end of the 120 days from the time s/he had knowledge of the PCB release, your client must notify.
The Department has issued guidance (available here) that describes its expectations and application of enforcement discretion for certain delays in conducting response actions during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. As stated in the guidance, all 2-hour, 72-hour and 120 day notifications must continue to be made during the State of Emergency. This is consistent with the provisions at 310 CMR 40.0025(1), which allow for written notices of delay in the case of a Force Majeure "except a deadline or time period for providing notification of a release or threat of release of oil and/or hazardous material, or an Imminent Hazard, as required by 310 CMR 40.0300..."
Questions may be submitted to MassDEP's BWSC at [email protected]. MassDEP staff will respond directly to the questions received and, if a question is of more general interest, post the answers on the webpage.
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City of Boston Covid-19 Tools of the Trade
The City of Boston Inspectional Services Department has implemented new protocols for essential construction work in the City of Boston due to the Covid-19 public health emergency. As of May 18, 2020, The City of Boston began allowing essential construction on sites that met certain criteria, including filing a Covid-19 Safety plan and a signed affidavit.
To stay up to date with the latest news on construction in Boston, visit this website. You will also find Covid-19 guidelines and guidance videos there. Take a look at this video for tips to ensure your Boston jobsite is safe, sanitary and in compliance with Covid-19 requirements. Indoor Air and Covid-19
The LSPA's Technical Practices Committee (TPC) reminds us that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has prepared a list of resources to address Coronavirus airborne transmission in hospitals, aircraft and other enclosed spaces. It can be found here.
If the topic of indoor air and building design/ventilation is of interest to you, please consider attending a TPC meeting; this topic is usually one of several meeting agenda items. The committee meets next by Zoom on June 10th from 8 am to 10 am. Contact Committee Chair Roger Thibault to receive the Zoom link.
Occupational Health and Safety
Another resource discussed at a recent TPC meeting is this guidance document from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) entitled "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19."
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As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, we want to recognize members of the LSPA who are going "above and beyond" by donating their time and resources to help others through this difficult period.
Below are two examples of these generous contributions. Kudos to Trident Environmental and Amy Rosenstein. Please contact us at [email protected] if you know of others who are helping.
Trident Environmental Group provided free decontamination services for first responder vehicles at their Norfolk headquarters. All surrounding towns were invited to participate in the April 18th event. Trident serviced about 60 police, fire and medical vehicles from Norfolk, Wrentham and Plainville.
Teams from the environmental contracting firm used their Steramist surface units to thoroughly disinfect first responder vehicles with a hydrogen peroxide-based mist and fog composed of ionized hydrogen peroxide.
Amy Rosenstein, Risk Assessor at the US Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, and LSPA member, is sewing face masks in her spare time for the Lexington Coalition Mask Team. This group has been donating masks to social service agencies and medical facilities. So far, they have collectively contributed 14,533+ handmade masks to those who need them.
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The following LSPA tip was presented at the April 2020 Membership Meeting, which was held virtually through the Zoom webinar platform, on April 28, 2020.
LSPA Tip for eDEP Submittals During the Time of COVID-19
The LSP Association Scholarship Fund is accepting applications for educational scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year. Deadline for submission has been extended to Friday, May 29, 2020.
The LSPA received the following email yesterday afternoon from MassDEP BWSC. Among other things, it highlights a fact sheet with guidance outlining expectations related to MCP requirements and site work during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, including discussion of meeting response action deadlines for routine submittals. MassDEP recommends that should work be delayed by postponed field work, reduced staffing, or other interruptions, parties should notify MassDEP of the compliance delay in writing, include the deadline(s) that will be missed, and any measures, if applicable, taken to secure the disposal site during the period of work stoppage. The written notice of delay should be submitted to MassDEP through eDEP using transmittal form BWSC121: Notification of Delay. MassDEP BWSC also notes that it intends to exercise enforcement discretion for failure to meet deadlines for routine submittals during this State of Emergency. |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MassDEP has published a Fact Sheet on the continuity of waste site cleanup activities during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
I expect we will discuss the new Fact Sheet and other matters during this week's BWSC Office Hours on Thursday morning. (DETAILS: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/bwsc-office-hours-video-calls)
As always, questions can be directed to [email protected] prior to the Thursday call.
I hope you are all safe & well.
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On Friday, April 3, 2020 the LSPA submitted comments to the MA Department of Revenue on Working Draft Regulation 830 CMR 63.38Q.1, the Massachusetts Brownfields Tax Credit. Read our cover letter and the accompanying spreadsheet which presents our comments in more detail. Many thanks to the LSPA's Regulations Committee for compiling comments and to the many LSPA members who shared their feedback on the Working Draft regulation.
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Provided below is more information on three items that may be of interest to LSPA members:
Emergency Order Extending State Permit Deadlines Governor Baker signed an emergency order on March 26, 2020 which essentially extends state permit deadlines and specifically addresses constructive approvals, hearing deadlines, decision deadlines, appeal rights, and more.
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Federal Payroll Protection Program for Small Businesses, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and eligible self-employed individuals
The Federal government has expanded the Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) loan eligibility to include certain small businesses and other organizations. This includes small businesses and also sole proprietors, independent contractors, and eligible self-employed individuals
Brian Kindorf, the LSPA's bookkeeping/accounting contractor at Non Profit Capital Management www.npcm.com, reports that:
The loans will be made via SBA approved lenders - which means local banks will be administering this program directly. The application has not been released yet but you can always pro-actively contact your bank's lending department for details and information. Expect a few weeks for this program to get fully up-and-running - but maybe the SBA will move faster in this case.
More information from NPCM is provided here.
Additional information here.
Take care and be safe.
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The LSPA received the following email this morning regarding the MassDEP BWSC New Office Hours.
Hope to see you there - virtually.
Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Committee members and Other Interested Stakeholders,
During yesterday's BWSC Advisory Committee meeting, it was suggested that the Bureau hold regular meetings over the next few weeks to address issues that may arise while we work through the new COVID-9 paradigm.
We have set aside time on Thursday mornings, 9:00 - 10:00, during which Liz Callahan and I will be available via Zoom.com.
At the very least we will take your questions, issues and concerns and try to find answer... or provide an opportunity to vent. Feel free to check in during that time, and we'll see how this format works for you (and for us).
It may be productive to send questions in to the [email protected] mailbox so that we can get a head start on the response.
Details for the call are below. You might want to add it to your calendar as a recurring event.
P.S. The handout and link to video from yesterday's meeting is (will be) available through the BWSC Advisory Committee web page.
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Topic: MassDEP Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Office Hours
Date: Every Thursday, Starting April 2, 2020
Time: 09:00 - 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 523 450 5769
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