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Eversource Plans Solar Projects In Pittsfield and LanesboroughBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
03:58AM / Wednesday, December 07, 2016 | |
Amy Voisine-Shea said the two projects are part of a more than a dozen throughout the state as the company aims to develop 62 more megawatts of electricity statewide. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Eversource is now in the permitting stage for two solar projects, tallying some 6.2 megawatts in central Berkshires. That's one-tenth of the total 62 MW it hopes to develop statewide. The electric company is looking to build a 2.2-megawatt facility on land it owns on Partridge Road in Pittsfield and another 4-megawatt array on Route 7 in Lanesborough. Both projects are on plots of land the company already owns and is considered "underutilized." "The 1 Comment
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Downing's Next Step Is Solar Energy Firm| 04:43PM / Monday, November 14, 2016 | |
BOSTON — Benjamin B. Downing, who has championed renewable energies during his 10 years in the state Senate, will join a solar energy company at the end of his term.
Nexamp Inc. announced on Monday that the Pittsfield Democrat, who did not stand for a sixth term, would be the solar contractor's new vice president of new market development.
"Ben's long history of public service will complement Nexamp's expert team of local development professionals," said Zaid Ashai, chief executive officer of Nexamp, in a statement. "He joins us at the most exciting juncture in our company's young history, and his ability to effectively communicate promising
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Pittsfield Retailers Mistakenly Still Violating Polystyrene Ban By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
02:33AM / Tuesday, October 18, 2016 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Board of Health is discovering that many vendors may be inadvertently still using the banned polystyrene food containers. The Green Commission was updated on the Styrofoam ban Monday night in which member Jim McGrath reported that many businesses have swapped out the white clamshell Styrofoam containers in the favor of clear plastic containers. However, those clear plastic containers are still polystyrene, which is banned. "They all are made of essentially the same material," McGrath told the Green Committee. "Retailers made the switch to what they thought was a responsible, acceptable product." The Green 5 Comments
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BNRC Releases Plan For Countywide Hiking Trail NetworkBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
02:29AM / Tuesday, October 04, 2016 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Natural Resources Council envisions a day when one can walk through a network of trails to each and every town in the Berkshires. The organization has been working for the last couple years to do just that. The organization has raised $4.25 million toward the creation and maintenance of such a network. "It is sort of a counterpart to the Appalachian Trail," President Tad Ames said, explaining that the network will allow someone to travel on foot the length of Berkshire County, stopping in at towns, staying a local hotels, while not having to carry food for a long trip. The concept is something that's been done 6 Comments
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Permit Granted For Solar Project On Pittsfield's Churchill StreetBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
03:55AM / Thursday, September 08, 2016 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — From noise, to scenery, to even attacking the character of the company looking to install a large solar array on Churchill Street, neighbors tried everything to fight the project. But despite presenting their case claiming that the 499-kilowatt planned array encompassing a dozen acres of land would be a detriment to the neighborhood, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted the special permit with conditions in a 4-1 vote. Some of the board members voiced concern that the 40 acres of land being used could never been screened enough as to not impact the neighbors. "I am not convinced that this project is not detrimental to the neighborhood. I don't 1 Comment
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Some Berkshire Farms to Receive Aerial Crop PlantingBy Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
03:53AM / Tuesday, August 09, 2016 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Farms in Adams, Cheshire, Lanesborough, North Adams, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown will be seeding a little differently this August. Instead of establishing a cover crop by hand, a helicopter will plant winter rye grass seed from above. The airborne cover-crop planting is being done through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation program. Farms through the state applied to the NRC's Environmental Quality Incentives Program to take advantage of financial and technical assistance for a conservation practice that allows farmers to take full advantage of a cover crop. Chenail Brothers Dairy Farm's Wallace 3 Comments
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Crane Donates Jericho Woods Conservation Group| 07:49PM / Friday, August 05, 2016 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Crane & Co. has donated 126 acres of woodlands, known as Jericho Woods, to the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.
The Jericho Woods property spans the communities of Dalton and Hinsdale, and has been protected by Crane and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife under a Wildlife Conservation Easement. In 2015, Crane donated 685 acres of land, known as the Boulders, to the BNRC.
"Crane has a long, sustained legacy of leading in the area of environmental stewardship," said Stephen P. DeFalco, chief executive officer of Crane Currency. "The donation of the Jericho Woods property to the BNRC will ensure that this wonderful resource will
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Pending EPA Permit Part of Waterstone Pitch For PEDA ParcelBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
01:53AM / Monday, June 27, 2016 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Part of the selling point for the new Walmart at the William Stanley Business Park is that it will ease an environmental regulation expected later this year. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a new draft permit for the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority's ability to drain storm water into Silver Lake. That permit called for significantly better water quality than currently being done. PEDA and the city argued against it, saying it doesn't have the money to make the needed improvements to the storm water. Further, General Electric cleaned up the site to the standards outlined in the consent decree and the EPA 1 Comment
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Guest Column: Bans on Plastic Bags Gaining GroundBy Rinaldo Del Gallo, Guest Columnist
09:24PM / Wednesday, June 22, 2016 | |
 I am pleased to announce that at last night's town meeting (Monday, June 20), Adams banned single-use plastic bags. (Article 25). It was a remarkable unanimous vote by the members of the town meeting.
Recently, there have been a series of single-use plastic bag bans. There has been a ban in Lee, a ban in Lenox, and last night a ban in Adams. Lenox was done by the Board of Health. In Lee, the ban on single-use plastic bags was done by town meeting — where it won by a considerable margin. In a similar manner, Lee and Lenox banned the use of Styrofoam.
What is less commonly known is my role in these bans. The ban on Styrofoam and single-use plastic bags in Lee and
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