PFAS – Senator John Velis

January 29, 2021February 12, 2021

January 31, 2021 – Weekly Update

Hello Everyone,

Hard to believe we’re already at the end of January! 2021 is moving along and I hope this new year has been good to you all so far. This week I had several meetings regarding potential legislation to file in this new session, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process.

On Monday morning I met with Dave Cruise, President and CEO of the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. We had a informative conversation about companies and businesses in our district and how the Legislature can support them. Monday afternoon I sat down with Mayor Humason and Representative Pease to talk about our legislative priorities and how we can work together to benefit the City of Westfield.

On Tuesday I met with Westfield City Councilor Kristen Mello and other community members to discuss PFAS and a new potential study that would look at the impact of the contamination in food sources across the state.

This week my staff and I also met virtually with representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense to talk about potential legislation for Veterans and active military members in the Commonwealth. While I will be refiling several pieces of Veterans affairs legislation from my time in the House, I have a few new interesting initiatives I will be pursuing as well.

Earlier this week, the Baker Administration announced that individuals who are 75+ years old can begin to book appointments through mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when Phase 2 begins on February 1^st. I have heard from many constituents this week about the difficulty and confusion of signing up for a vaccine appointment on the site. While the Governor is unilaterally overseeing the vaccination distribution, my office has been communicating with the Administration frequently to make our concerns clear.

This week I co-sponsored legislation to greatly improve the current vaccination booking process. SD300, An Act streamlining COVID-19 vaccination sign-up in Massachusetts, directs the Department of Public Health to immediately establish an accessible, one-stop online sign-up for COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as a 24/7 phone hotline in multiple languages. Ensuring access to the vaccine is crucial to recovering as a Commonwealth.

Last week several of my colleagues and I also sent a letter to Governor Baker asking for increased vaccination preparations in Hampden County, and I am glad that Eastfield Mall in Springfield will now be a mass vaccination site. I will continue to advocate to improve the vaccination process however I can, and my staff is available to assist with any questions or concerns you may. In addition, I will be sending out COVID email updates as new information becomes available. You can sign up to receive them at senatorjohnvelis.com/covid-19-updates/

As always if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920 and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.

Sincerely,

John C. Velis

October 13, 2020

October 11th, 2020 – Weekly Update

Hello all,

I hope everyone is doing well. I know we had some intense storms this week and I want to send my thanks to all the municipal public safety and public works departments who were on call for storm damage and power outages. Southampton in particular had over 400 residents without power and my office was able to facilitate communication between Eversource Energy and the Southampton Fire Department; who were then able to work together to restore power.

This week I hosted a meeting with legislative colleagues, community activists, and UMass Amherst researchers on the existence and dangers of PFAS in our food sources. Among other things, we discussed the possibility of a pilot study at UMass that would look at eggshells from communities with high PFAS levels like Westfield and Hyannis. This pilot study could lead to expanded studies that would help us determine what products have PFAS in them, where they come from, and how we can best address PFAS in our food sources. Our communities deserve to know what we are consuming and there was great legislative interest in the study.

I also want to acknowledge that this past week was Mental Illness Awareness Week. Those dealing with mental and behavioral health issues often do not get the help and support they need because of the stigma surrounding the topic. These issues are only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and we have seen rates of depression increase during these past several months. As a member of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, I am proud that the State has launched their new “More to the Story Campaign”, which is focused on normalizing conversations and reducing the stigma around mental and behavioral health issues. People often mask what they are going through. But there is always more to the story and we can all do more to help those who are struggling. To find out more about the campaign and other related resources, please contact my office.

This past Monday morning I had a meeting at the Holyoke Health Center with E.D. Jay Breines, Representative Vega, and Representative-Elect Pat Duffy on the impact of the health center on the greater Holyoke area and how we in the legislature can support them. Later on Monday I joined Mayor Sapelli of Agawam for a tour of Belt Technologies. It’s always eye-opening to see how businesses have adapted to meet the challenges of COVID-19. We need to continue to provide support to them as we go through these recovery stages.

Tuesday morning, I went over to the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Food Pantry to spend some time helping out. Food insecurity is still one of our largest challenges for our most vulnerable populations and it is great to see how these organizations and volunteers go above and beyond to provide groceries and resources.

On Friday, I had a virtual meeting with Secretary Sudders from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and many legislative colleagues on the proposed closing of Farren Health in Turner Falls and the proposed patient transfer to Mount Saint Vincent in Holyoke. My colleagues and I have deep concerns about such a change taking place during this pandemic, and I advocated for delaying the move and for increased guidelines and resources to be provided for residents, staff, and families. After this meeting, I went over to Holyoke to present Esme Power with an official Senate Citation. Esme was recently named a delegate to the national Girl Scout Council, and has spent time advocating for people to vote and use their voice! I am so proud of the great youth in our communities, and congratulations to Esme.

I wrapped up Friday night by spending several hours on a ride-along with the Westfield Police Department. I believe in rolling up my sleeves and seeing things first hand and these ride-alongs are an important opportunity to see the daily work of our law enforcement officers. I am grateful to WPD for letting me come along.

This week I also had a variety of meetings with economic experts and the Ways and Means Committee to talk about the State Economy. The fact remains that it is still hard to predict exactly what our economic recovery is going to look like without a federal package. This budget is going to require strategic planning and we are looking at all options. We need to be fiscally responsible for the long-term and not dig ourselves into a hole while at the same time provide funding and clarity for those struggling in our communities. I will continue to update you all as the budget moves along.

As always, if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.

Sincerely,

John C. Velis

September 28, 2020

Senator Velis, City Councilor Mello Encouraged by New PFAS Regulations and Grants

WESTFIELD (9/28/2020)

This past week the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced stricter regulations regarding PFAS levels in public drinking water, and awarded a $200,000 grant to the Westfield Public Water System to support their efforts in addressing PFAS contamination.

The new drinking water standard for PFAS establishes a limit of 20 parts per trillion (ppt) for the sum of six PFAS compounds, called “PFAS6.” This new level of 20 ppt provides a much higher degree of protection compared to the previous guidance of 70 ppt, particularly for sensitive subgroups including pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants. The regulations also require that public water suppliers begin quarterly testing for PFAS in 2021, and mandates that they must act when there is a detection above the limit. There are currently no federal PFAS standards for drinking water, and very few state regulations as well.

“The long term health consequences of PFAS are abundantly clear, and these new regulations and funding are a critical step towards protecting our communities and our health from long-lasting dangers,” said Senator John Velis. “It is completely unfair that we have been forced to bear this public health and financial burden when we had nothing to do with it. During my time in the legislature, I have fought for funds wherever I can to ensure that Westfield residents are not penalized for trying to do the right thing and fixing their drinking water.”

City Councilor Kristen Mello, who has worked with community members to bring attention to PFAS levels in Westfield, stressed the importance of these regulations and noted how much work Senator Velis and others have put in for this to happen.

“We are proud to take our place among the states who have placed legally enforceable limits on PFAS in drinking water in the absence of federal action. Finalizing this Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for six PFAS in drinking water is another vital step forward in reducing toxic PFAS exposure to residents of our communities ,” said Councilor Mello. “Residents from Westfield and other affected communities are grateful that, from our first meeting with MA DEP asking for a PFAS MCL in April 2018 to the last hearing for public comment in 2020, Senator John Velis has been there with us advocating for our communities every step of the way.”

“This is really the culmination of years of work, and years of advocacy from constituents and residents,” said Senator Velis. “We have worked so hard to bring our concerns to the State and to make sure that Westfield is not forgotten about when it comes to PFAS. I’m just relieved that action like this is finally taking place.”

The $200,000 grant awarded to the Westfield Public Water System will provide funding for planning, studies, pump tests, and engineering to support their efforts to address PFAS contamination and to design a system to eliminate it in their drinking water. Nine other municipalities in the State that have high PFAS levels were also selected for grants.

When asked about the grant, Councilor Melo said that it will help to ease the financial stress of dealing with PFAS, “Addressing the local need for assistance in testing and treatment for these “forever chemicals” helps to ensure those of us bearing the burden of PFAS exposure are not facing additional financial burden from the regulation intended to decrease that exposure.”

“The grant provided to Westfield is so important because it will allow us to continue working towards our ultimate goal of removing PFAS from our water systems completely,” said Senator Velis. “There’s still much more to be done, but these are tangible accomplishments, and I’m grateful for all of the Westfield community members who have worked alongside me.”