On July 17th all seven states were present for the Northeast Committee on Environment (NECOE) quarterly meeting held at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection headquarters in Hartford. Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont joined regional partners to discuss issues facing the region. Of these issues, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), renewable energy development and siting were discussed in depth.
In a productive all day meeting, commissioners shared their progressive plans to address the growing concerns of PFAS with both New Hampshire and New York presenting final Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) drinking water level standards and Connecticut sharing lessons learned from recent PFAS events. States also shared interests in working together to share best practices on solar and offshore wind siting to ensure the region and its partners increase their renewable energy portfolio responsibly and effectively.
We would also like to thank Commissioner Moore of Vermont for her two years sitting as the NECOE Chair. She passes the torch to Maine’s new Commissioner, Jerry Reid. We look forward to his leadership as we begin to plan for our meeting this upcoming fall.
