Helping to Protect Our Quality of Life on Cape Cod
WATER is the most precious natural resource we have
~ A CALL TO ACTION by November 7th at 5pm ~
Eversource has a plan called the vegetation management (VMP) where they are to keep plants down along power lines on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Unfortunately, this plan includes use of many different types of herbicides. We don't want them allowed above our aquifer when there are other successful alternatives available. Please send your comments to the state, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) by the November 7th at 5pm deadline to be on record about this very important matter. Thank you for your support. It's our water after all!
Hello all ~
Please see the #2 documents on the Eversource page:
current VMP 2023 - 2027 and MDAR letter to residents on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard.
It is time for individuals and for towns to write a comment letter to MDAR about Eversource's VMP:
For towns, please allow this important matter onto your town Select Board agenda, to have your board write and send a comment letter to the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture by the deadline of November 7th at 5pm. Also would you please email me the comment letter written from your town for my records, thank you very much.
Pursuant to the Rights-of-Way Management Regulations (333 CMR 11.00) in order to apply pesticides to control vegetation to maintain Rights-of-Ways, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) must approve a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) and a Yearly Operational Plan (YOP). The VMP is intended to justify the need to control vegetation, identify target vegetation, describe the intended methods of control, describe methods for identifying sensitive areas, describe operational guidelines for applicators, outline a program of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) designed to reduce the use of herbicides, and describe alternative land use activities.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will accept written testimony concerning the Eversource Energy, Cape Cod and Islands VMP until the close of business (5pm): Monday, November 7, 2022.
Commentary should be sent to:
Rights-of-Way Program Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
225 Turnpike Road
Southboro, Mass. 01772
Thank you for continuing to get onto Mass. state records on this important matter.
Please send your comment letter to your State representatives as well, such as:
Note:
Please know Eversource's Yearly Operational Plan (YOP) will be out within the next 6 months or so. This plan will list the current towns to be maintained in 2023, with a list of herbicides they plan to use. There will be 21 or 30 days allowed for comment once that is submitted to MDAR.
Below is last year's YOP 2022 so you can see the language:
https://www.eversource.com/content/docs/default-source/tranmission/yearly-operational-plan-cape-veg-management.pdf?sfvrsn=4bd58d62_0
Remember now is the time to comment on only the VMP 2023-2027.
Thank you very much for your participation before the November 7th deadline.
It is important to keep your town involved through the years to show the State you don't want vegetation managed along power lines with herbicides when they are above our aquifer.
If you have any questions, please reach me at:
Thank you ~
Best,
Laura Kelley
Did you know?
The EPA has been reviewing glyphosate, the declared active chemical ingredient in glyphosate-based herbicides most commonly known as Roundup or Ranger Pro, for over 10 years. During the last 120-day public comment period on glyphosate, the EPA received roughly 283,300 comments. Over 12,000 unique submissions were received from various stakeholders, including glyphosate registrants, grower groups, non-governmental organizations, pesticide industry groups, states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and members of the general public. Yet on January 30, 2020 the EPA said glyphosate is not harmful to people or animals, shame on them. This is back on the EPA agenda currently Oct. 2022 for consideration.
There are two sides to this story, glyphosate is proving to be extremely unhealthy for all living things on Earth, so it is up to Boards in each Town to decide for themselves what they wish to do and how strongly they wish to write policies about this very controversial herbicide and we all are facing in the USA today.
Click the link below to see valuable documents of information on Glyphosate:
https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/data
Our Mission
POCCA's mission is to educate residents, businesses and public agencies of Cape Cod how to keep our drinking water safe by eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in our environment. We believe education is the key to the longevity of drinkable water. With a few simple shifts in our own daily routines, it will make all the difference!
We are fortunate our drinkable water is below us because it doesn't travel very far
but with that comes a greater responsibility of protection.
Will you join the mission to help protect water here?
Every day the choices you make matter, what you purchase, where you purchase and how much you use. If each of us would do 3 things every day, collectively we would make huge change: purchase foods and essentials at local farmers markets, this supports our next generations here, don't purchase anything toxic, we live above where we drink (shampoo, soaps, detergents, pesticides), and lastly recycle 100% or it will end up in an ocean. See our products page for more detailed information ~
President, Laura Kelley receives CIDC Award April 27, 2019, her speech:
Pruning Party with GOATS on Power Lines in Harwich Sept 11th ~
~ IT'S OUR WATER AFTER ALL ~
POCCA in National News on June 17, 2019 about helping Cape Cod:
https://www.ehn.org/the-uphill-battle-for-communities-that-ban-harmful-pesticides-2638803514.html
Please join the mission by lessening the amount of products
you purchase and use above our aquifer ~ Thank you!
This map below shows the depth to our drinkable water.
Cape Cod has 6 lenses, 5 are drinkable. The pink lines show where the ROW power lines are throughout Cape Cod, this is where Eversource uses herbicides to maintain vegetation over growth. There are other ways to protect electric wires that are cost effective and less toxic to our natural resources and thus, us. 17 Cape and MV towns have asked they don't use herbicides on our land.
~ Our Programs ~
The POCCA team educates about this important issue that affects us all: To prevent EVERSOURCE Energy from spraying herbicides along Rights-of-Way power lines on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to keep vegetation from harming electricity but there are better ways. Watch this video, it shows what they are doing on our land despite 17 towns writing documents against it from occurring again.
POCCA team members love to come and present pertinent information about our water supply and environmental issues to your group. We offer meetings with informative speakers to discuss emerging contaminants and the hydrology of our aquifer to explain what’s going on below the surface and how important it is to us.
Learn how to lessen your impact on our aquifer by changing your every day habits! Visit the 'how you can help' page to see examples that are cost effective and simple solutions that will make a big difference in nature.
Thank you for your kind donation
