We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Kristina Comley Washer, a thoughtful and driven environmental scientist, on June 9, 2025. Kristina was a member of the LSPA from 2021 to 2023 and, in June 2022, she was awarded an LSPA Scholarship.

At the June Membership Meeting on June 11, 2205, the LSP Association Scholarship Fund announced their 2025 recipients. The Fund provides scholarships to LSPA members and members of their immediate families who are enrolled in a degree program at an accredited New England college or university, and qualified Massachusetts residents enrolled in a public or private Massachusetts college or university pursuing a major that is consistent with becoming an LSP or Environmental Professional. Since its inception, the Fund has awarded more than $251,500 in scholarships to 62 deserving students pursuing careers in the environmental field.

This year, the LSP Association Scholarship Fund recognized the following individuals:

The following LSPA compliance tip was introduced at the June 2025 Membership Meeting, which was held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM.

Compliance Tip  
When OHM from an upgradient source migrates onto a disposal site being addressed for other releases, and regardless of whether DPS has been established, that OHM must be included when evaluating risk and/or otherwise seeking to achieve a Permanent Solution for the disposal site. OHM from an upgradient source is not considered “background” and, for example, cannot be excluded as a contaminant of concern.

The MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (BWSC) has released its revised Policy for “Off-Gas Treatment of Point-Source Remedial Air Emissions” (formerly Policy #WSC-94-150), with a public comment period ending on June 30, 2025.

This Policy concerns air emissions that occur as a result of air stripping of contaminated groundwater, vacuum extraction of soil gases, or any other remedial activity conducted pursuant to MGL Chapter 21E that creates a point-source discharge of contaminants to air. The intent of this Policy is to articulate when off-gas treatment of point-source remedial air emissions may not be necessary to protect human health, safety, public welfare, and the environment.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals (“LSP Board”) has opened a comment period and will hold a public hearing on the proposed amendments to the regulations at 309 CMR 1.00-9.00: Regulations of the Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals. The proposed amendments include changes to:

• Continuing education requirements for LSPs and course providers
• Examination procedures
• Definitions, license renewals, and other topics

The proposed amendments, a background document, and public meeting registration link are available on the LSP Board’s website.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Announces Plan to Rescind 2024 PFAS National Drinking Water Standards
On May 13, 2025, the US EPA announced plans to rescind and revise its national drinking water standards for PFAS. Key highlights include:

• The EPA plans to rescind and reconsider the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for four PFAS compounds—PFHxS, PFNA, GenX, and PFBS—citing the need for further evaluation.
• EPA will uphold the existing MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS.
• Public water systems will now have until 2031 to comply with the PFOA and PFOS standards, providing additional time for infrastructure upgrades and treatment implementation.

US EPA plans to begin a new rulemaking process in the fall and to issue a new rule next spring.

The following LSPA practice tip was introduced at the May 2025 Membership Meeting, which was via Zoom from 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Practice Tip  
Per the 2024 MCP Amendments Q&A, MassDEP generally recommends 25- to 50-foot grid squares when performing systematic grid sampling, though the Q&A acknowledges that sample spacing will depend on the size of the target area and the number of samples to be collected. Justification for the sample grid spacing used should be included in the risk characterization.

Voting is now open for the 2025 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2025. 

There are two open seats on the Board for this election; the three-year term is from FY '26 through FY '28. Provided below are the candidates on this year's ballot. Please click on each candidate's name to read more about them.

MassDEP Brownfields Roundtables

The LSPA received the following email from MassDEP on Monday, May 5, 2025.

We are writing to recognize a significant LSPA transition. Mariellen Morris, our new Executive Director, begins her tenure tomorrow. We also bid farewell to Wendy Rundle, who will be stepping down from that role.  

Over the past 15 years, Wendy has been the beating heart for leading and building the LSPA into what it is today. Simply put, her contributions have been immeasurable. Wendy has worn just about every hat imaginable (and worn them well!). She has guided the LSPA through countless regulatory and guidance changes, LSPA budgetary ups and downs, a global pandemic, and has been integral in developing and advancing our member service offerings. 

Dear LSPA Members, Friends, and the Larger Community:

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Mariellen Morris as our new Executive Director, effective this Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Ms. Morris comes to the LSPA with over 20 years of experience in professional association management with expertise in strategic planning, operational efficiency, and stakeholder engagement. During her many years at the Boston-based Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, she successfully led initiatives in program development for both in-person and virtual platforms, alongside efforts in partnership building, membership growth, resource utilization, and volunteer engagement. Ms. Morris holds a BA in Communications from Westfield State University, and an MA in Organizational Communication from Suffolk University.

Voting will open on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, for the 2025-2026 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2025. 

Ballots will be sent by email to all LSPA members, both Full and Associate. We encourage all members to vote.

The LSP Association requests your nominations for our 2025 "Contribution to the Practice" Awards. If you know of a deserving candidate and wish to nominate the person and/or organization, please complete this form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 8, 2025. The awards are presented annually in the fall at an LSPA event.

Nominations are solicited in the following categories:

The LSPA received the following email from MassDEP on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.

MassDEP has posted the Final GUIDANCE ON IMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY AND USE LIMITATIONS, Policy #WSC 25-300, April 23, 2025, available at: https://www.mass.gov/lists/policies-guidance-technical-support-for-site-cleanup. 

The following LSPA practice tip was introduced at the April 2025 Membership Meeting, which was held at the LSPA Environmental Symposium in Framingham, MA, on April 15, 2025.

Practice Tip of the Month
Every LSPA member has a Profile on the LSPA website that contains information for yourself and for the public.  Your name, address, areas of specialty, foreign language proficiency, whether you are a WBE or an MBE, and other information will be available on the public-facing LSPA website under “Find an LSP.”  This is an excellent resource for someone looking to hire a practitioner.  For your own private information, your Profile page has a menu for you to access all your transactions with the LSPA, including completed registration forms and invoices.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup is holding an online informational meeting about upcoming Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs) funding. TAGs are available to community and municipal groups to enhance public participation in assessment and cleanup activities at oil or hazardous material disposal sites. TAGs may be used to obtain expert advice and technical assistance and to promote community education for qualifying projects.  The informational meeting will include a presentation on the purpose of the TAG program, grant eligibility requirements, and the grant application process and timelines.

The online informational meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM via Zoom. You may access the meeting via MassDEP’s TAG webpage at this link:  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/technical-assistance-grants-waste-site-cleanup

On March 19, 2025, Annual Certification letters were sent by MassDEP’s Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup to property owners where an Active Exposure Pathway Mitigation Measure (AEPMM) is required to maintain a Permanent Solution with Conditions under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP). The MCP requires that the current property owner submit an annual certification concerning the operation and maintenance of the AEPMM upon receipt of a form sent by MassDEP (310 CMR 40.1025(8)).

In addition to the annual certification, MassDEP is requesting that the property owner conduct a shutdown and restart test (310 CMR 40.1025(9)) to demonstrate the remote telemetry for the system is operating correctly. In total, seventy-four (74) letters were sent to property owners. Letters were also emailed when MassDEP had an email on file for the property owner. The deadline for returning the Annual Certification form is May 5, 2025. Annual Certification letters sent by MassDEP are publicly available on the Energy & Environmental Affairs Data Portal.  As MassDEP receives completed forms from property owners those letters will be added to the Data Portal as well. 

The LSPA appreciates that over 250 members took our Member Survey in November and December 2024. While we do not know if the survey findings are representative of LSPA members as a whole, we want to share the results.

As a reminder, the survey covered several topics:

The following LSPA practice tip was introduced at the March 2025 Membership Meeting, which was held via Zoom on March 20, 2025.

Practice Tip of the Month
Spring is a good time to document the condition of monitoring wells, especially after a busy snowplow season. Well covers that are damaged over the winter may no longer meet the requirements of 310 CMR 40.0028, which specifies:

The LSP Association Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications for educational scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. Deadline for submission is Friday, May 9, 2025.

The scholarship program supports continued education within environmental fields of study at colleges and universities throughout New England.