Environmental Consulting and the MCP
On October 1, 1993, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) privatized the cleanup of contaminated sites in Massachusetts to provide new opportunities and incentives for private parties to respond to contamination and to allow the State to focus its limited resources on the tasks that require government attention. New rules were implemented for reporting, assessing, and cleaning up releases of oil and hazardous material known as the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (the ‘MCP’ or 310 CMR 40.0000) which lays out a detailed process on when and how contaminated sites must be assessed and cleaned up. The regulations are designed to protect the environment as well as the health and safety of the people of Massachusetts.
The MCP requires those responsible for cleanups hire a Licensed Site Professional, also referred to as an “LSP”, to manage and/or oversee the required assessment and cleanup work. An LSP is an environmental scientist or engineer experienced in the cleanup of oil and hazardous material contamination. The LSP’s job is to guide and collaborate with the responsible party(s) to develop and execute a scope of work that will satisfy the state requirements to address contaminated property set forth in Massachusetts General Law c. 21E and the MCP.
CSE’s in-house LSP, William H. Mitchell, Jr., LSP, is highly qualified to oversee MCP activities and provide waste site cleanup opinions. Mr. Mitchell has been licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since the implementation of the program in 1993 and was an active participant in the recent MCP revisions. He has a long history of providing MCP services spanning from Limited Removal Actions (LRA) to Permanent Solution Statements and successfully bringing contaminated sites into regulatory compliance.