October Membership Meeting: Beating the Odds: Converting Dross to Gold in Everett
Live Webinar
1.5 Technical Credits
Cost-Effective Remediation Through Enhanced Site Characterization
Live Webinar
2.0 Technical Credits
November Membership Meeting: Understanding Audits and Avoiding Common Issues, Perspectives from MassDEP Audit Staff
Live Webinar
1.0 DEP Regulatory Credit
Groundwater Modeling for the Site Professional – Fundamentals and Applications
Live Webinar
4.0 Technical Credits
State of the Art vs. State of the Practice for In Situ Remedial Design
Online Only
4.0 Technical Credits
Using Geology to Follow the Groundwater: Follow the Flow to Successful Remediation
Online Only
1.0 Technical Credit
PFAS Perspectives: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Experience
Online Only
1.0 Technical Credit
Current Remediation Options for 1,4-Dioxane
Online Only
1.0 Technical Credit
PFAS in Massachusetts: Development of Drinking Water Guideline and Implementation of MCP Requirements
Online Only
2.0 DEP Regulatory Credits
Updates on BWSC's Natural Resource Damages Program
Online Only
1.5 DEP Regulatory Credits
Telemetry on Active Exposure Pathway Mitigation Measures: A Look at Related Audit Findings and Challenges for LSPs and MassDEP
Online Only
1.0 DEP Regulatory Credit
Managing Construction in Contaminated Areas
Online Only
2.0 DEP Regulatory Credits
LSPA activities and initiatives typically begin at the committee level. LSPA committees are actively involved in all aspects of the association.
Education
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Western Massachusetts
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BLOG
LSPA Legislative Updates - October 2017
October 02, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSPA is preparing to testify on S. 534, an act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases. Senate Bill #534 was authored by the LSPA to enhance the current law by requiring coverage be provided to homeowners and raising coverage limits to keep pace with rising remediation costs. This bill will be heard by the Joint Committee on Financial Services in mid-October. And now, we are asking for your help! Here are a few ways that you can support S. 534:
September Compliance Tip
September 27, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSPA presented the following compliance tip at the September Membership Meeting at Marriott Newton Hotel in Newton, MA on September 26, 2017. When a property with a Notice of Activity and Use Limitation (AUL) has been sold, the Responsible Party must submit to MassDEP a Form BWSC 113 with a copy of the recorded deed conveying the record title. Remember it is essential that subsequent property owners be given notice of the AUL.
Vacancy on LSP Board of Registration: LSPA Seeks Interested Candidates
September 25, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog There is currently a vacant seat on the 11 member Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals (aka The LSP Board). The LSPA is soliciting interest from qualified professionals to serve on the LSP Board.
Why is the LSPA involved with helping to identify possible Board candidates?
LSPs are the key constituents of the LSP Board, and the LSPA is the professional association for LSPs, so it is only logical that the LSPA would have an interest in identifying qualified candidates for the LSP Board.
The LSPA is very invested in maintaining the LSP Board as a credible, responsive, and fully functioning entity in this privatized program, with all 11 seats filled. The success of the program depends on it.
What seat is vacant?
Three Board members must be members of "statewide organizations that promote the protection of the environment at the time of appointments and who are knowledgeable with respect to issues involving responding to releases of oil and hazardous materials." One of these environmental seats is vacant and has been for over three years. What are the expectations for a Board member?
At present, LSP Board meetings are held nearly every month, usually at one of the MassDEP regional offices, including Boston. At meetings, Board members review and vote on applications for course credits and license applications, and oversee investigations of complaints lodged against LSPs who may have violated the LSP Rules of Professional Conduct set forth in 309 CMR 4.00.
The term of service is four years. Besides attending meetings of the full Board, Board members are expected to participate on Application Review Panels (reviewing applications for licensure) and Complaint Review Teams (investigating complaints against LSPs). Service on the Board is without compensation.
Click here for more information about the current Board.
Where can I get more information?
If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact Wendy Rundle, LSPA Executive Director at [email protected] or 617-484-4027.
2017 Soils Conference
September 18, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSP Association (LSPA) is proud to support the 33rd Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy as an event sponsor. As part of this sponsorship, all LSPA members are eligible to receive a discounted registration fee! Please remember to check "Presenters*, Sponsors/Supporters, and Academics" to receive the discount. Rates for LSPA members are listed below. These rates are valid until September 29. Registrations received after September 29 will be charged a late fee.
Are you attending the conference or are you an LSPA member in the Western Massachusetts area? Please consider meeting up for an informal gathering at The Hangar Pub. Details are below.
LSPA Membership Meeting Dates Announced for 2017-2018
August 22, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog Mark your calendars! The LSPA Membership Meeting dates and locations for 2017-2018 have been set. The LSP Association's membership meetings take place monthly from September through June in the Greater Boston area. Click here to view the schedule for the upcoming year.
If there is a meeting topic that you would like to see presented at an LSPA Membership Meeting, please contact Charles Young or Steve Beek, co-chairs of the LSPA Member Services & Program Committee.
LSPA committee meeting dates have also been finalized for the upcoming year. If you are interested in getting involved, now is the perfect time to connect with the committee chair or sit in on an upcoming meeting. With eight LSPA Committees, there is something for everyone. We welcome your interest and support- at any level! Click here to learn more.
If you are interested in becoming a meeting sponsor or supporter, please visit the LSPA website for additional information or call 617.799.4304. Our meetings typically draw about 100 people and are a great place to showcase your company's services.
LSPA 2017-2018 Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available!
August 17, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSPA invites you to support our association through the following sponsorship opportunities. Each package offers a different way for your company to highlight its commitment and support for the LSP practice through the activities of the LSPA, while generating good will and increased visibility within the environmental community. Click here to view the email announcing 2017-2018 sponsorships. Corporate Sponsorship:
The Corporate Sponsor Program offers three levels of sponsorship. Benefits are summarized here.
If you are a past sponsor, we hope that you continue your support of the LSPA. If you have not been a sponsor in the past, we encourage you to consider the benefits of collaborating with the LSPA. We look forward to your company's support in the busy and exciting year ahead. Click here to learn more or sign up today!
Membership Meeting Sponsors:
The LSPA holds eight meetings in Eastern Massachusetts and four meetings in Western Massachusetts from September to June (view meeting schedule).
These meetings are excellent networking opportunities for vendors such as remediation firms, labs, drillers, attorneys, and others. If you are interested in becoming a meeting sponsor, please review the meeting sponsorship opportunities here. Become a Meeting Sponsor Now.
Annual Dinner Sponsors:
Register Now to support LSPA's upcoming Annual Dinner on Thursday, October 26, 2017.
If you are interested in more information about the benefits of sponsorship, please contact Wendy Rundle, LSPA Executive Director or call 617-977-4304. We welcome your interest.
LSPA Awards WES Professional Practice Grant
August 17, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSPA is pleased to announce that a $2,100 WES Professional Practice Grant (WES Grant) has been awarded to a team who will conduct an "Evaluation of Elevated Background Concentrations of Lead in Urban Fill in the City of Boston, Massachusetts."
This proposal was submitted by Mike Penzo, LSPA Past President, who will lead the project team, and Daniel Difrancesco, an undergraduate student at Bridgewater State University (BSU) and member of the BSU Student Chapter of the LSP Association, who will receive the WES Grant funds as a stipend for his research.
We look forward to learning more about their findings at a future LSPA membership meeting and in a subsequent newsletter article. Congratulations to Daniel and Mike!
How to Apply for a WES Grant
The WES Professional Practice Grant was established in honor of Wesley Simpson's longtime dedication and service to the LSPA. The purpose of the grant program is to advance the practice of rendering LSP Opinions and the professionalism of LSPs.
Do you have an idea that you are interested in developing over the next six months or so that will produce a product contributing to the advancement of the state of the practice for the rendering LSP Opinions?
Do you want a little financial support to assist in assembling something that demonstrates the professionalism of LSPs participating in the MCP program?
The LSP Association is pleased to announce that up to $5,000 could be available to help complete your goal. Applications are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis for the WES Grant. Program application information can be found on the LSPA website or by clicking here.
Here are some examples of topics discussed at various LSPA meetings that could benefit from more effort than is currently available at the LSPA board and committee level:
All grant applications are evaluated by a three member WES Grant Review Committee. The committee then provides a recommendation to the LSPA Board of Directors, which votes on the awards.
Please call 617.977.4304 or email [email protected] with any questions.
August 2017 Newsletter
August 14, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog LSPA's August 2017 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....
Remediation General Permit Presentation
August 10, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog
The instructors from the June 2017 LSPA Course, “Meeting the Requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Remediation General Permit”, have updated the presentation slides because the regulations were still being revised around the same time the RGP was being issued. The presentation has been posted for your information. It can be found in the Member Materials section of the LSPA website, under Technical Resources. More details can be found on the EPA website: https://www3.epa.gov/region1/npdes/rgp.html
MassDEP Launches Online Permitting
August 08, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog Phase I of The Energy and Environmental Information and Public Access System (EIPAS) is now LIVE!
MassDEP Commissioner Suuberg is pleased to announce that the first phase of the Energy and Environmental Information and Public Access System (EIPAS) has been released. With this release, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) has implemented online permitting for MassDEP permits in the Toxic Use Reduction, Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Drinking Water and Air Quality Programs. There are plans for additional permits to go online in 2018. Two data portals have also been released:
Additional data will be exposed in the data portal in 2018. Click here to read the official press release and to explore the data portals.
Compliance Tip for August 2017
August 02, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog August 2, 2017 Exposure Point Concentrations (EPCs)
LSPA Scholarship Fund Raises Over $15,000 for Educational Scholarships
July 27, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSPA Scholarship Fund hosted its fourth annual golf tournament on June 14, 2017 at the Highfields Golf Course in Grafton, MA. We had a record of 132 golfers and everyone had a great time! Here is a link to the event photo album – please download and share your favorite images. All photography credits go to Thomas Barrasso. This year’s tournament filled up quickly and we had to close registration several weeks before the event. Please be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s tournament so you don’t miss out! It will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Highfields Golf Course in Grafton, MA.
LSPA Scholarship Fund Names 2017-2018 Recipients
July 24, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog At the LSPA June Membership Meeting, four educational scholarships were presented by Bill Betters, President of the LSPA Scholarship Fund. The LSPA Scholarship Fund supports individuals pursuing undergraduate or graduate education in environmental fields in Massachusetts and other New England states. Since 2003, the LSPA Scholarship Fund has presented over 39 scholarships totaling more than $160,000. Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients:
Young Professionals Committee Site Tour in Gardner, MA
July 07, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog Marc Richards, PE, LSP recently hosted a tour of the former Garbose metal scrap yard in Gardner, MA, where Tighe & Bond is currently finishing up a large remediation project. The walking tour included a brief history of the site, the remediation, and other points of interest. Click here to view the photo album.
Upcoming Events with LSPA's Young Professionals Committee
July 06, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog
LSPA Announced Leadership Changes to Board of Directors
July 04, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog The LSP Association (LSPA) is announcing leadership changes to the Board of Directors as well as the appointment of two new Board members. These changes took effect on July 1, 2017 and were announced to the membership at the LSPA monthly meeting, held on June 8, 2017 in Westborough, MA.
Marilyn Wade, LSP, Managing Engineer for Brown and Caldwell, has been appointed President of the LSP Association (LSPA). Wade is currently serving a second term on the LSPA Board of Directors. During her previous term, she served as President-Elect and Treasurer. Jeanine Grachuk, Esq, a Partner and Environmental Attorney with Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. of Wellesley, MA, will begin serving her second 3-year term on the Board of Directors and will continue to serve as Clerk.
LSPA Field Course: Sediment, Surface Water, and Biota Sampling Methods to Support MCP Assessments
June 26, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog We received great feedback from attendees on the LSPA Field Course: Sediment, Surface Water, and Biota Sampling Methods to Support MCP Assessments which was held on June 22 at Woods Hole Group in East Falmouth, MA and nearby wetlands and waterfront. The weather cooperated and made for a beautiful day out on the water! Participants learned the advantages and limitations of the various sampling techniques by conducting the sampling directly. Sampling was done both from shore and in workboats- collection of bottom dwelling organisms (e.g. invertebrates), sediment for toxicity testing and grain size analysis, fish, plants, water quality data (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity profiles), surface water, and deep water and sediment samples for chemical analysis.
WES Grant Applications Now Accepted on Rolling Basis
June 19, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog Do you have an idea that you are interested in developing over the next six months or so that will produce a product contributing to the advancement of the state of the practice for the rendering of LSP Opinions?
Do you want a little financial support to assist in assembling something that demonstrates the professionalism of LSPs participating in the MCP program?
The LSP Association is pleased to announce that up to $5000 could be available to help complete your goal. Applications are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis for The WES Professional Practice Grant Program (WES Grant). Program application information can be found on the LSPA website or by clicking here.
Here are some examples of items discussed at various LSPA meetings that could benefit from more effort than is currently available at the LSPA board and committee level:
All grant applications are evaluated by a three member WES Grant Review Committee. The committee then provides a recommendation to the LSPA Board of Directors, which votes on the awards.
Don't let those great ideas slip away - start the grant process by clicking here!
LSPA Unveils June's Compliance Tip of the Month
June 12, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog June 12, 2017 Every three years following issuance of her/his license, an LSP must demonstrate that s/he has earned a minimum of 48 continuing education credits. Of these, at least 12 of the 48 credits must be earned at LSP Board-approved “DEP Course(s)”.
No fewer than 8 credits must be from LSP Board-approved courses classified as “Regulatory.” The balance of the 48 required credits may be earned by attending any LSP Board-approved course, conference, or conference workshop.
309 CMR 3.09(3)(a) and (b)
Three things to remember:
Click here to view all published compliance tips. This document is also posted in the Members Only section of the website under Technical Resources.
New Soil Disposal Guidance for 21J Fund
June 09, 2017 - POSTED BY Kristi Lefebvre POSTED IN Blog In the past few months, the 21J Board has issued two new policies that provide clarification and guidance on collecting and submitting documentation for the reimbursement of soil excavation and disposal as part of an MCP Response Action.
This action is taken as a result of the fact that, over the past year, the majority of claims involving soil disposal are likely to be initially denied, and then being heard in "conference" i.e. before a panel of 21J Board members for further consideration of the validity of the claims and charges.
These two newest 21J Fund policies can be found here.
The specific documents are:
When you are contemplating soil excavation at a 21J reimbursable Site, please refer to this guidance in order to maximize cost recovery.
Thank you,
Michael A. Penzo, PG, CPG, LSP
LSP Association President
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