Politics & Government

FACES Organization To Urge Mass DEP to Hold General Chemical Accountable

Members of the Framingham Action Coalition for Environmental Safety will meet today with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Framingham's State representatives on General Chemical's Cleanup plan.

Members of , will meet Tuesday afternoon with Steven DeGabriele, Director of the Business Compliance Division of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in Boston.

FACES is a community group focused on environmental justice in Framingham that has gained widespread support for their local organizing to clean up . Members of the group are meeting with DeGabriele this afternoon to urge him to require that General Chemical tear down the infrastructure on their property (buildings, tanks, parking lots, etc.), underneath which lies the worst contamination on site. 

Should General Chemical not be required to tear down this infrastructure, a cleanup of the massive chemical plume underneath their property will remain incomplete and the buildings will remain a blight on an already overburdened area. 

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The has taken a strong stance on this issue, aligning with FACES’ demands, but the Board of Health has been effectively shut out of jurisdiction over this issue, according to a FACES press release.

DEP is expected to make a decision on the final cleanup plan any day now.

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Traveling to Boston today are FACES members Kristen Nason, Junia Faust, Anne Sullivan, Ronda Andrews and Taryn Hallweaver of the Toxics Action Center.

“The Framingham community is counting on the DEP to take a strong stand with General Chemical and hold them accountable for a thorough and timely cleanup of ALL affected areas. This can only happen if the buildings and infrastructure are removed and pavement is ripped up, so the deepest concentration of contamination is accessible.  General Chemical made this mess, and General Chemical should be required to clean it up.  We want justice for this neighborhood," said Nason.

State Representatives Chris Walsh and Tom Sannicandro and a staff from Sen. Karen Spilka's office also plan to attend the afternoon meeting.


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