Housatonic Rest of River (PCB) / PCB Advisory Committee

Plans Currently Open for Comment:

Comments should be sent to:  [email protected] 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Documents:

• Conditional Approval of General Electric’s February 28, 2024 submittal titled Upland Disposal Facility Final Design Plan, 09/12/2024
• Conditional Approval of General Electric’s February 28, 2024 submittal titled Upland Disposal Facility Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan, 09/12/2024
• Rest of River Cleanup and the Upland Disposal Facility Will Not Pose a Health Threat from Airborne PCBs, 07/2024
• Letter Regarding Partial Disapproval/Partial Approval of GE's On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan, 06/04/2024 
• Conditional Approval of GE’s November 21, 2023, Adaptive Management Plan, 04/23/2024
• Revised Final RCRA Permit Modification, 12/16/2020 
• Administrative Decision Remanding in Part and Denying Review in Part [in response to GE appeal of RCRA permit], 01/26/2018
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Final Permit Modification, 10/24/2016

• Revised Quality of Life Compliance Plan, 11/22/2024
• Phase IB Cultural Resources Survey Work Plan for Reach 6, 11/15/2024
• Proposed Dewatering and Water Treatment Systems for Upland Disposal Facility (UDF) Area: Addenda to the UDF Final Design Plan and UDF Revised Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan (Transmittal Letter Attached), 10/20/2024
• Revised UDF Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan, 10/20/2024
• Revised UDF Final Design Plan, 10/20/2024
• Revised Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan for UDF, 12/20/2024
• Phase IB Cultural Resources Survey Work Plan for Reach 6, 11/15/2024
• Baseline Restoration Assessment Report for Reach 6, 10/31/2024
• Pre-Design Investigation Report for Reach 6, 10/31/2024
• Conceptual Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan for Reach 6, 10/31/2024
• Revised On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan, 10/15/2024
• Final Revised Rest of River Statement of Work, 09/14/2024
• Upland Disposal Facility Operation, Monitering, and Maintenance Plan, 02/28/2024
• Upland Disposal Facility Final Design Plan, 02/28/2024
• On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan, 10/31/2023
• Phase 1B Cultural Resources Survey Work Plan for Reach 5A, 09/28/2023
• Conceptual Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan for Reach 5A, 09/28/2023
• Pre-Design Investigation Summary Report for Reach 5A Non-Residential Floodplain Exposure Areas, 09/28/2023
• Pre-Design Investigation Summary Report for Reach 5A Sediment and Riverbanks, 09/23/2023
• Final Pre-Design Investigation Summary Report for Upland Disposable Facility Area, 08/07/2023
• Vernal Pool Pilot Study Work Plan, 06/23/2023 

Town of Lee Comments:

• Comments on Quality of Life Compliance Plan, and Phase IB Cultural Resources Survey Work Plan for Reach 6, 02/10/2025
• Comments on Conceptual Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan for Reach 6, the Pre-Design Investigation Summary Report for Reach 6, and the Baseline Restoration Assessment Report for Reach 6, 02/03/2025
• Comments on Final Design Plan and OMM Plan, 05/10/2024
• Comments on Projects Operations Plan, 04/02/2024
• Comments on Adaptive Management Plan, 02/26/2024
• Comments on Quality of Life Plan, 02/26/2024
• Comments on Transportation and Disposal Plan, 01/30/2024
• Comments on Conceptual RD/RA Work Plan for Reach 5A, 01/09/2024
• Comments on Upland Disposal Facility Pre-Design Investigation Report, 09/28/2023
• Comments on Draft Transportation Plan, 07/12/2023
• Comments on Plan for Implementing Future Projects or Work, 02/22/2023
• Comments on Upland Disposal Facility Conceptual Design Plan and Interim Pre-Design Investigation Data Summary Report for Upland Disposal Facility Area, 02/12/2023
• Comments on Columbia Dam, 02/06/2023

Other Town of Lee Documents: 

• Save the Housatonic Day, 10/18/2024
• Vital Info, Lee's Fight for Corporate Accountability, 09/2024
• Town of Lee, MA vs Monsanto Company and General Electric, 03/13/2024 
• Letter to Other Rest of River Towns Requesting Open Meeting, 04/19/2023

GE/EPA Presentations:

• Overview of Upland Disposal Facility Design Plans, 04/18/2024
• GE Rest of River Overview of Transportation and Disposal Plan Development, 06/27/2023 
• GE and EPA Renderings of Upland Disposal Facility 

Other Documents:

• Letter to legislation about EPA concerns, 05/07/2025
• Technical Assistance Services for Communities, Comments on Upland Disposal Facility Pre-Design Investigation Summary Report, 09/26/2023
• Settlement Agreement, 2020 
• State of Connecticut and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v Generaal Electric Company, Consent Decree, 10/05/1999

Websites:

• Save the Housatonic 
• Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), "Housatonic Rest of River (RoR) Municipal Committee"
• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "EPA Cleanups; GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site" - [offers access to all publicly accessible documents]

PCB ADVISORY COMMITTEE

On March 19, 2024, the Select Board created the new PCB Advisory Committee. The Committee is comprised of 7 Select Board appointed members and 1 associate member. The mission of the PCB Advisory Committee is to advise the Select Board and Town Administrator on decisions related to PCB dredging, transport, monitoring, storage, and disposal. In addition, the Committee may provide recommendations to the Select Board for the use of settlement fund monies. The Committee has the following tasks:

1. Regular attendance at open meetings. 
2. Work with the Town's environmental consultant to develop independent testing and monitoring procedures.
3. Review responses/comments to EPA/GE Permits
4. Provide advice on the use of settlement funds

MEMBERS
Mary Brittain (Environmental Consultant)
Gail Ceresia (Wetland Scientist)
Peter Bluhm (Retired Lawyer)
Robert Wespiser (Public Health)
Robert Heinzman (Environmental Economics)
Marilyn Wyatt (PR/Communications)
David Carrington (Member at Large)
Julia Thomas (Associate Member)
Ex Officio Membership: Town Administrator & Select Board 

AGENDAS & MINUTES 
April 2, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
April 25, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
May 20, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
May 29, 2024: Agenda, Minutes 
June 17, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
July 15, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
August 19, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
September 16, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
October 16, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
November 18, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
December 10, 2024: Agenda, Minutes
January 06, 2025: Agenda, Minutes
February 03, 2025: Agenda, Minutes
February 25, 2025: Agenda, Minutes
April 7, 2025: Agenda, Minutes

The Upshot (Newsletter from the PCB Advisory Committee)
No 1. June 28, 2024, No 2. October 21, 2024, No. 3 May 6, 2025

Click Here to view the Timeline of Rest of River Clean-Up