Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
Kyla Bennett, PhD, JD
Science Policy Director
P.O. Box 574
North Easton, MA 02356
Phone: 508-230-9933
kbennett@peer.org
From the coves and inlets of Maine to the mountains of southwestern Virginia, PEER is fighting to stop habitat loss and protect wildlife, limit water and air pollution, address drinking water contamination, and implement aggressive actions to address climate change and to stop toxic chemicals from entering our environment.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic PEER represents municipal, state, and federal employees who are trying to protect the environment of the region. While this region has a reputation of being more protective of the environment than other regions of the country, all levels of government are politically susceptible, and employees often find themselves in trouble for upholding environmental laws and regulations. When politics trumps science and laws, employees turn to us to expose this dereliction of duty.
We work on a wide range of issues, from saving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from ship strikes and fishing line entanglements to protecting drinking water from lead, PFAS, and other contaminants, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic PEER is helping improve environmental decision making and working to ensure regulatory decisions are based on science, not politics. With climate change increasingly impacting our daily lives and the ecosystems around us, our work with public employees who are on the front lines of the war on the environment is more important than ever.
NEWS FROM THE NORTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC
PEERMail: Aerial Spraying PFAS in Massachusetts
Massachusetts communities struggle with PFAS contamination in their water supplies. One source of this contamination could be insecticides.
Rhode Island Ignores Sewage Dumping in Historic Harbor
Federal Action Sought to Stop Sewage Discharges Befouling Sakonnet Harbor
Op-Ed | Should We Stop Spraying for Mosquitoes During the Pandemic?
Should we be using pesticides when spraying for mosquitoes that may compromise someone’s respiratory system during a pandemic?
NYC Schools Lack Ventilation to Stop COVID Spread
Teachers File Complaint Charging Unsafe Conditions in Re-Opened Schools
NOAA to Reduce Right Whale Aerial Surveys
Eliminating Targeted Surveys Hampers Ability to Spot Whales in Distress
New Federal Licenses May Sink Lobster Fleets
NOAA’s Past Accommodations of Lobster Industry Come Back to Bite It
Kyla Bennett talks to MWRA about PFAS
New England PEER Director, Kyla Bennett talks to Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) on the topic of PFAS.
NOAA Balks at Steps to Save Remaining Right Whales
Scientists Ignored as Agency Delays Entanglement and Ship Strike Relief
Massachusetts Concedes Aerial Spraying Largely Ineffective
Half of Spray Events Kill Zero Mosquitos; No Proof of Disease Reduction
EPA Failing CDC Criteria for Re-Opening Offices
No Regional Office Meets “Gating Criteria” or Ensures CDC Safeguards
EPA Halts Re-Opening New England Office
Data Shows Infections Still Exceed CDC “Gating Criteria” for Phase One
Massachusetts Struggles for Safe, Effective Mosquito Control
Governor’s Arbovirus Proposal Much Improved but Big Questions Remain
Sewage Spills Pose COVID-19 Risks
Overflows into Drinking Water Sources May Create New Infection Vectors
PFAS Taints Upper Hudson Valley
New York State Must Act to Close Toxic Landfill
Massachusetts PFAS Plan Good Start, But Too Limited
Sets Limits too High, Omits Thousands of PFAS and Fails to Address Sources
Artificial Turf’s Big Lie: Old Fields Not Recycled
No Recycling Facilities, So Tons of Plastic Carpet Dumped
BLOG: WOTUS Redefinition: New York
Impact of proposed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) redefinition on wetlands and waters in New York: a case study
PEERMail: Huge Victory by PEER
Why would Massachusetts spend millions to control and remove toxic PFAS from its waters, while at the same time let the EPA approve the discharge of massive amounts of PFAS into the Merrimack River?
Massachusetts Issues Permit for PFAS It Is Fighting
Big Discharge Slated for Merrimack River – Water Source for Half-Million
Industry in a Dither about PFAS in Synthetic Turf
Non-Denials and Trade Secret Claims Prompt More Testing of Carpet