Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
[The Lee PCB Advisory Committee met on March 2, 2026, with representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an informational hearing on the cleanup of PCB-contaminated sediments in the Housatonic River and the proposed Upland Disposal Facility (UDF). The chair established ground rules that the meeting was not for re-litigating opposition to the project, which was well documented, but for asking technical questions and understanding current status. The committee and public had opportunities to ask questions of EPA’s team, including Josh (project manager), Brian Olson (director of Superfund section for New England), and John Kilborn (site attorney).]
Monday, March 2nd, I'm going to call the meeting to order. Pursuant to Mass General Law, Chapter 30A and Section 20. I'm hereby informing all attendees that a video and audio recording is being made of the meeting. As promised, second item business, we have public comment. Anyone from the public who might have something to say, questions, whatever. Hearing none, moving on. I absolutely would like to submit as evidence. If you could just uh if you could just step up to the stand and identify yourself. David Ball, 620 Stackbridge Rogue. Yeah. So I I went to get my fish and hunting license, and when I stopped at the uh department uh fish and wildlife, they have this on the collar explaining about PCBs and how it affects wildlife and children and everybody else. I'd like to submit this as evidence. Okay, you can bring it right up to the table here. We'll give it to Sabrina to log in. Thanks. Thank you very much, Dave. Any other public comments? Hearing none, we'll move on. Uh approval of the minutes. All the way at the end. So the last two pages. Oh, yes, yeah. That was from February 13th, wasn't it? I'll move it to be second. We have a motion to approve in a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. Opposed. Unanimous vote. Moving on to main order business, the committee discussion, uh QA with EPA representatives. So I'll start off by saying uh as the chair, there's certain well-established facts which I would prefer not to go in tonight because we we have until 7 30 tonight uh to ask questions, get questions answered to uh get a better understanding of where we stand today in terms of the proposed UDF. It's been well established that the people of Town of Lee are very unhappy, do not want this dump at all. And it's been well established that we feel we've been uh that we've been used and abused, that it's been an unfair process, that the uh that the uh permit should never have been issued given the structure of the negotiations. That it's all been established. And between town meetings were where there were town reps, uh open town meetings, uh measures on the ballot, overwhelmingly, but and and round figures about 70% of the voters are opposed to this project. I'm just putting that on the table. So that's already we already know that. The reason we're here tonight, these folks uh have come a long distance from the EP, they're from in with the EPA. So Sabrina, thank you for all the name tags. I was gonna ask everybody to introduce themselves, but great job. Uh we're here to ask questions to get a better understanding of where we are today and where we may be going. Okay, so this is an informational hearing, and uh that's why we're here. Not to complain about the situation, not to uh go on and on and on about how bad the situation is that's been established. So that being said, Josh, do you have any sort of opening statement that you wanted to make or yeah?