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Massachusetts Office of
Technical Assistance
| | Chemical Preparedness Tabletop Exercises
Train Companies and Local Communities | | On June 24 and 25, several Massachusetts businesses, first responders, municipal officials, and local organizations joined OTA in Lawrence and Holyoke for in-person tabletop exercises on Chemical Safety and Climate Change Resilience, to enhance participants' preparedness for climate-related chemical emergencies. | | Lawrence Fire Department Chief Patrick Delaney addresses attendees at the Lawrence tabletop exercise | | The exercises, which were developed by OTA in partnership with the John Snow Institute (JSI), included a presentation to participants about climate hazards and chemical safety, real-life chemical releases related to extreme weather events, and how OTA can support companies with emergency preparedness. Then, participants were invited to engage in groups with a set of hypothetical climate-related chemical release scenarios through roleplay from the perspectives of the disciplines they represent. Consistent with FEMA emergency preparedness exercise methodology, groups were asked to develop responses to each scenario challenge, including preparation, incident start, and post-incident recovery phases. After the breakout exercises, the large group was reconvened for discussion. | | Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña addresses attendees at the Lawrence tabletop exercise | | City of Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña spoke to participants in Lawrence, MA about his own experiences as a former small-business owner and the challenges of maintaining environmental compliance. Lawrence Fire Department Chief Patrick Delaney also spoke to the group on the importance of preparedness exercises and the value of OTA assistance for companies and emergency officials. | | Tiffany Hawco, an Environmental Specialist at Eversource, found it valuable that the exercise convened businesses with emergency response officials, firefighters, and local community organizations. "Everyone is going to bring their own experience, so bringing people together is always a strength," Hawco remarked. Several participants noted that they plan to use the materials provided to run similar exercises with colleagues in their own facilities. | | OTA plans to hold similar events in the future, and will make the materials for the tabletop exercises available to the public later this year. In the meantime, visit OTA's Chemical Safety and Climate Change Resilience webpage to learn more about our resources for businesses and local communities. | | OTA Outreach and Policy Analyst Kari Sasportas presents at the Holyoke tabletop exercise | | Right From the Start: Resources for New and Expanding Businesses | | |
Are you an entrepreneur of color preparing to open or expand your business, or will your business be located in an area that is disproportionately impacted by environmental burdens? Are you looking for strategies to help keep your workplace and community healthy?
OTA’s Right from the Start program is specially designed to assist businesses expanding or starting new manufacturing operations. Working with OTA early gives businesses a leg-up as they develop their operations and implement environmentally conscious strategies. By reducing pollution and ensuring environmental compliance at the start, your business can maximize environmental and economic performance and invest in strengthening communities. OTA’s services can save costs, prevent environmental harm, conserve resources, and foster safer workplaces.
Through free, confidential assistance, OTA can help your business identify opportunities to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, prevent pollution, and conserve water and energy. Right from the Start helps new and expanding minority-owned businesses, as well as those employing and working in overburdened communities, grow as environmental stewards.
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Massachusetts Clean Auto Repair (MassCAR) Guide:
Now Online!
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The Massachusetts Clean Auto Repair Guide is now available as a website! OTA developed the MassCAR guide to help auto body and repair shops stay in compliance with state and federal environmental law and reduce toxics use and releases wherever possible.
As part of OTA's commitment to making our resources more accessible to all, we have made the MassCAR curriculum available as a web guide. The content has been refreshed and is now compatible with screen readers and online translation. The guide and the individual fact sheets contained within it are still available in PDF form.
| | Science of PFAS Conference: Call for Presentations | | |
The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), in collaboration with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), has announced the third Science of PFAS Conference on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The conference aims to:
- Provide a platform to ensure that local, state, and federal actions addressing PFAS contamination are informed by the most current and reliable scientific research.
- Foster networking and information-sharing among key stakeholders engaged in PFAS-related work.
- Identify critical gaps in science and policy to guide future research and initiatives.
Presentation and poster submissions are welcome using NEWMOA's online submission portal (account creation required). All submissions must provide: the proposed session category; the presentation title; a brief abstract (500-word maximum) describing the topics that will be addressed; and the presenter’s name, affiliation, and contact information.
Presentations will be organized into one of four main categories:
- PFAS Uses, Alternatives, and Prevention
- Toxicology, Human Health and Ecological Impacts
- Site Characterization, Analytical Methods, and Environmental Fate and Transport
- Destruction, Treatment, Remediation, and Disposal
The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 5, 2025. All submissions will be reviewed by the Conference Planning Committee and submitters will be notified of decisions by December.
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Presentation Information
Presentations should be 20 minutes in length. If selected, your presentation will be part of a three-presentation session (90 minutes). Presenters of accepted proposals will receive a discount on their registration fee when registration opens. If your submission is not chosen, you can choose to have it considered as a poster. However, we cannot guarantee that it will be selected.
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Poster Information
Posters will only be displayed on the first day of the conference. Individuals chosen for the poster session are responsible for printing and transporting their poster to the venue. The maximum size permitted for posters is 36” H x 48” W. Poster presenters do not receive a discount on their registration fee.
| | Proposed Amendments to the TURA List | | |
The public comment period concerning proposed amendments to 301 CMR 41: Toxic or Hazardous Substance List (TURA List) has been extended until 5pm, September 12, 2025. These proposed amendments, if adopted, will add a substance category of Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride (DDAC) and Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC) subgroups of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds to the TURA List.
Copies of the proposed regulations may be downloaded here, or may be obtained by sending an email to Tiffany Skogstrom at tiffany.skogstrom@mass.gov or calling 857-275-1561.
Written testimony will be accepted until 5 p.m. on September 12, 2025. Written testimony should be submitted via email tiffany.skogstrom@mass.gov or via mail to: Tiffany Skogstrom, Executive Director of the TURA Administrative Council, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1020, Boston, MA 02114.
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OTA is very pleased to welcome Keyana White as our new Environmental Analyst.
Keyana provides technical assistance to companies in the furniture, apparel, lumber, and manufacturing industries. She has over 5 years of experience as an environmental scientist, including work in environmental and cultural resource management, environmental impact assessment, and the renewable energy sector. She also has a background in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), federal regulation, and state regulation to advance toxics use reduction and environmental enforcement, as well as to develop and design educational initiatives and informational tools related to addressing climate change and promoting public health.
Keyana holds a Master of Public Health in environmental health from Boston University where she specialized in environmental risk assessment, climate adaptation methods, and spatial data analysis. She also holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
| | Do You Have Feedback for OTA? | | OTA always welcomes feedback from companies who have worked with us or used our resources. You're welcome to share your thoughts with the OTA staff member who assisted you. If you'd prefer to provide your feedback anonymously, you can use this online form at any point to submit your thoughts. Your feedback helps us improve our services, develop new resources, and identify what we should be prioritizing. We greatly appreciate your input and the time and thought you put into sharing it. | |
OTA is driven by the premise that preventing pollution makes good business sense. We provide free, confidential onsite technical assistance to Massachusetts manufacturers, businesses, and institutions.
Phone: (617) 626-1060
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Governor
Maura T. Healey
Lieutenant Governor
Kimberley L. Driscoll
Secretary, Executive Office of Energy
and Environmental Affairs
Rebecca L. Tepper
OTA Director
Tiffany Skogstrom
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