Miami Can Still Save Biscayne Bay. Boston Harbor Shows the Way.

I hope you will take a few minutes to read this opinion piece on a strategy to Save Biscayne Bay by my friend Paul Grogan, CEO Emeritus of The Boston Foundation and me, which ran in the online edition of the Miami Herald on August 15 and in the print edition on September 10. 

Click on the image to enlarge.

Miami Can Still Save Biscayne Bay. Boston Harbor Shows the Way.

If government can't or won’t invest today, Miami’s foundations and billionaires should.

By
Paul S. Grogan
President & CEO Emeritus, The Boston Foundation

E. Bruce Berman, Jr.
Director of Strategy & Communications Emeritus, 
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

 

In the 1980s, Boston Harbor was a national disgrace. Sewage from 43 communities poured into the water, fouling beaches, fueling algae blooms and fish kills that festered in the summer heat.

 

Today, Boston Harbor is home to the cleanest urban beaches in the nation. Flounder and striped bass have returned. Herring runs are thriving. Clam beds have reopened. Public beaches once written off as polluted are now civic assets. The recovery drove billions of dollars in investment to Boston’s waterfront neighborhoods and coastal communities.

 

That transformation happened because citizens organized, nonprofits advocated, lawyers litigated, courts compelled action and government ultimately invested more than $4 billion in modern wastewater infrastructure.

Philanthropy did not pay for the Boston Harbor cleanup. It supported the advocacy, research, coalition-building and public engagement that connected community outrage to legal strategy and political action.

 

Today, Biscayne Bay is flashing the same warning signs as Boston Harbor in the 1980s...

Read More 

E. Bruce Berman, Jr. is an environmental advocate and communications strategist best known for his long leadership role with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay in Boston, where he served as Director of Strategy & Communications from 1990 to 2022. 

He played a central role in building the public awareness, political support, and cross‑sector partnerships that sustained the multi‑decade effort to transform Boston Harbor from a polluted “Harbor of Shame” into one of the cleanest urban waterfronts in the nation.

 

In addition to his advocacy work, Berman taught public policy and marine science at Boston University, helping connect environmental science with civic leadership and public decision‑making. Today, Berman leads the Miami Beach Cupid Splash, raising funds to help jump‑start restoration efforts for Biscayne Bay, reflecting his continued commitment to clean water and resilient coastal communities.

 

Paul S. Grogan is an American civic and philanthropic leader best known for serving as President and CEO of The Boston Foundation from 2001 to 2021.

During his tenure, he helped expand the Foundation’s role as one of the nation’s leading community foundations, advancing work in urban and regional economic development, education reform, workforce development, public policy, and environmental initiatives — including support for the transformation of Boston Harbor.

Before joining The Boston Foundation, Grogan served as Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs at Harvard University, where he oversaw government relations, community partnerships with Boston and Cambridge, and external communications. He also served as President of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and a Trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, contributing to its national work in civic engagement, and community vitality.

He is widely recognized for advancing “civic leadership philanthropy” — using foundation resources not only for grantmaking, but to drive systemic change through research, public policy engagement, and cross-sector partnerships.

Tall Ships Bring a Lesson for American Democracy

The USS Constitution and the former Chilean prison ship Esmeralda participated 
in Sail Boston's Parade of Sail in Boston Harbor on Saturday, July 11, 2026.

  

Tall Ships Bring a Lesson for American Democracy
by Bruce Berman
First published in Portside Magazine on July 16, 2026.

 

In 1976, I was a student at Columbia University when Operation Sail brought 16 tall ships from around the world into New York Harbor. Among them was the Chilean naval training vessel Esmeralda.

 

To many, she was simply spectacular. To us, she was something sinister.

 

Three years earlier, Gen. Augusto Pinochet had seized power in a violent coup. The Esmeralda had been used as a detention and torture site in the regime’s early days. Just a few months earlier, a young Chilean woman, Michelle Peña Herrera, had been admitted to Columbia to study engineering. She was a labor organizer. Before she could leave Chile, she disappeared. It was widely believed she had been detained and tortured and killed on the Esmeralda.

 

Though I never met her my classmates and I had worked to secure her admission. When the Esmeralda docked in New York, we protested around the clock to focus attention on her disappearance and the Pinochet regime's human rights abuses.

 

Four decades later, in 2017, I was working on Boston Harbor as Director of Strategy and Communications for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, a position I held for more than 30 years. My office was on the Fish Pier, and when Sail Boston brought the Esmeralda back to our harbor, I could see her masts from my desk.

 

Chile was no longer a dictatorship. Pinochet had left power after losing a national plebiscite. Civilian rule had returned. The country had held decades of competitive elections and built democratic institutions that, while imperfect, were real.

 

I walked over to the ship early one morning and spoke with members of the crew. It was a thoughtful conversation about history and responsibility. The vessel had not changed. The nation she represented had.

 

I left believing that countries, like ships, can be restored.

 

But history is not a straight line. In recent years, Chile has experienced intense political polarization, waves of protest met at times with heavy police response, and fierce debate over constitutional reform. On March 11, 2026, far‑right candidate José Antonio Kast — who has defended elements of the Pinochet era and whose father served in the German army during World War II — was sworn in as President of Chile. His election is a reminder that even countries that have suffered dictatorship are not immune to its echoes.

 

On July 11, tall ships returned to Boston again. The Esmeralda was among them. So was the USS Constitution, berthed a short distance from my home port at Constitution Marina in Charlestown.

 

I love the Constitution, the sound of her cannons every day at 8 AM and again at sunset and the continuity she represents. And yet, lately, when I look at her, I feel something new. Unease.

 

In recent years, we have seen families separated at the border, some children still not reunited. We have witnessed political violence and efforts to revise history and suppress dissent. We have seen retribution against perceived adversaries and disdain for longstanding democratic norms. Our president has been openly hostile toward traditional allies while expressing admiration for authoritarian leaders abroad. 

 

The United States is not Chile in 1973. We are not under military rule. But I recognize warning signs from my youth: contempt for institutions, language that casts political opponents as enemies, the testing of legal and constitutional boundaries to see how far they bend.

 

The histories are not identical. But they rhyme.

 

When I was 20, I knew why I was protesting. The injustice was visible. The stakes were clear.

 

Today the danger is no less visible though it is wrapped in patriotic language and asks us to confuse loyalty to a person with loyalty to the Constitution.

 

The arc of history is long. But it is not smooth. And it does not bend on its own.

 

Ships are preserved through constant maintenance. They are sanded, sealed, and repaired before rot spreads. Republics demand the same care and attention.

 

When I stood on the pier in New York Harbor in 1976, I felt compelled to speak because silence felt like complicity. I feel compelled to speak again today — not because I doubt what the Constitution stands for, but because I believe in it.

Our Constitution, like the USS Constitution, will endure only if we work to preserve it.

Bruce Berman served as Director of Strategy & Communications for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for more than 30 years. He lives, works, writes and fishes aboard his trawler at Constitution Marina on Boston Harbor from April - November. From November - April he serves as lead organizer of the Miami Beach Cupid Splash to raise funds to heal Biscayne Bay.

Sail Boston® Parade of Sail

The Sail Boston®2026 Parade of Sail will be streaming live from the Exchange Conference Center at Boston's Fish Pier on Saturday, July 11 2026, thanks to our friends and partners at Constitution Marina, Massport, Boston's Fish Pier, The Exchange Conference Center, Boston and Maine Live and bostonharbor.com 

 

 bostonharbor.com hosts 9 live streams from Boston Harbor's 
waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities.

You can find them all at www.bostonharbor.com/live

 

Crystal Lake Invitational Presidential Ice Fishing and Credibility Derby

 

 

Spurious: A Frozen Fish Story 

NOTE: The ❤️Miami Beach Cupid Splash❤️ is not the first event I have hosted on Valentine's Day weekend. I hope that you enjoy this column I wrote for the Boston Phoenix ( under my pseudonym Spurious) about the Crystal Lake Invitational Presidential Ice Fishing and Credibility Derby that I hosted in Manchester, New Hampshire during the 1988 Presidential Primary.

It was the Thursday before the New Hampshire primary. I had just finished the first draft of my New Hampshire wrap-up, declaring Dan Rather and CBS — who had been among the big winners in Iowa (as Dole beat Bush) — the preliminary and marginal losers in New Hampshire (as Bush beat Dole). I was beginning to go through the extensive collection of fraudulent but credible (though undated) Manchester, Nashua, and Conway hotel, motel, and restaurant receipts that my agents had assembled for the amusement of those bastards in accounting. That’s when I noticed an increase in both the frequency and intensity of the telephone calls from my friend, the outdoors editor of our town's newspaper.

It seemed that the arrangements for the First Quadrennial Valentine's Day Invitational Presidential Ice Fishing and Credibility Derby, which he and I were sponsoring at Crystal Lake in Manchester, New Hampshire, were starting to get out of hand.

“Spurious, pal,” he wheezed in his charming Southern fashion. “This is big. Maybe too big. USA Today has confirmed in print that some of the presidential candidates are actually going to show up. And as if that isn’t bad enough, the United States Information Agency called to make arrangements for a busload of Norwegian journalists or something. And now the Secret Service wants to know what the security arrangements are. People around here are starting to take this thing too seriously. If it keeps up, they’re going to take it out of my hands. I need some help.”

I tried to calm him down, but it was too late for that. So I told him to ignore the candidates and the press reports for a while, to concentrate on clearing the snow off the frozen lake, and to arrange chowder, bait, and ice-fishing equipment. “Try to relax, pal. Chill out. And just to be safe, why don’t you keep one of those big ice augers handy to defend yourself with if anybody tries to screw with us on this,” I suggested.

“I don’t even have an auger yet,” he whined. “And what about security?”

“Just call the Secret Service and tell them that they’re welcome to come by but that they can’t fish unless they have New Hampshire fishing licenses.”

“You don’t understand,” he said. “I can’t call them because they are here. At the paper. Now. Live, with black-and-white shoes and everything. Meeting with management about this doomed Republican debate that they are hoping to salvage. I think they are taking this thing pretty seriously. Maybe too seriously.”

---

The Birth of the Crystal Lake Derby

The Crystal Lake Derby was conceived back in January when my buddy and I were complaining because none of the candidates for president had accepted our invitations to go ice fishing in Massachusetts. What better way to find out which candidates were “real” and which were not? Bait a hook, crack a brew, and sit back to talk about trout, bass, acid rain, or God.

But try as we might — and we did get a couple of nibbles — we were unable to lure any of them into spending a couple of hours off the beaten trail, alone in a natural setting, fishing by a stream or on a lake in the wilds of Massachusetts. Even though there are a thousand times as many fishermen as there are NRA members, and despite the candidates’ deep attraction to environmentalists and sportsmen, there was no well-organized fishing constituency or serious fishing lobby to arrange a forum for us. We would have to do it ourselves.

We needed a media event designed to bait the presidential candidates into going fishing with us. So it had to be in New Hampshire right before the New Hampshire primary, and it had to be good enough to attract the press. This didn’t seem too much of a challenge. You remember the toilet poll out of Iowa? Dukakis won on the flush. What we had in mind was much more legitimate, more responsible from a conservationist point of view (it wouldn’t waste water), and ever so much more visual: the first-ever ichthyological caucus — the ultimate fishing poll.

The press was sure to eat it up. If the candidates showed up, we could guarantee some great shots: a squeamish George Bush trying to bait his own hook with a shiner, an overdressed Simon hand-reeling a giant pike through the ice, or Pat Robertson hauling a 1,000-pound blue marlin through the hole in the ice and galvanizing everyone to the right of the Unitarians to his crusade. And if the candidates didn’t show, we could go with surrogates. All we had to do was drill 12 holes, assign one to each candidate, rig up the tip-ups with hooks, sinkers, and shiners, set them out on the lake, and wait. The candidate whose hole yielded the biggest (or first) fish would be the winner.

All we needed was the right bait: for the candidates, in any season, the right bait is the press; for the press, in the week before the New Hampshire primary, the right bait is the candidates engaged in some contest, the sillier the better. All we had to do was tell the candidates that the press was coming, and they would take the bait. And once the press found out that the candidates were going fishing in New Hampshire, they would rise to the occasion like trout to a mayfly hatch.

---

Chaos and Snowfall

By Friday evening, the situation had deteriorated further. It was snowing, and there was likely to be a foot or more of fresh snow on top of what was still on the lake. Our sources told us that the snow was still waist-deep in the parking lot, and Clem, our contact in the Manchester Parks Department, was avoiding our calls. Apparently, he wasn’t up to plowing the snow off Crystal Lake “after what happened last time,” though no one would tell us what exactly had happened. Worse, the Murdoch rag had withdrawn its institutional support of the event, likely due to the embarrassment following the cancellation of its planned Republican debate. This meant it wouldn’t pay for the chowder or the equipment and probably wouldn’t cover the event.

Finally, by Saturday, several candidates had listed the event in their schedules. On Sunday morning, the Boston Globe was reporting that DuPont and Kemp had confirmed their attendance. By then, dozens of journalists were arriving at an unplowed parking lot near a snow-covered lake to attend an ice-fishing derby sponsored by two guys from Massachusetts — one of whom had never even been ice fishing before.

---

The Event Unfolds

 On Sunday morning, my friend called to tell me he was in the throes of a severe asthma attack. He informed me that the parking lot at Crystal Lake was still unplowed and that he wouldn’t be able to make it. “It’s in your hands, pal,” he said. “Make me proud. And try not to lose anybody.”

Saddened by my buddy’s illness but delighted to be free of the Murdochian influence, I set off with my editor and a long-time fishing companion, Vann. After gathering supplies — and charging them to the Murdoch tab — we arrived at the freshly plowed parking lot adjacent to Crystal Lake. With the help of a local fisherman named Glenn, we drilled holes, set up the tip-ups, and prepared for the press.

The media showed up en masse, as did Gordon Robertson, Pat Robertson’s son. Despite my mixed feelings about his father’s politics, Gordon was a decent guy. He reeled in the first fish — a nine-inch jumbo yellow perch — making him and Babbitt the mutual winners.

---

Reflections on the Ice

As we packed up, I reflected on the day. A Norwegian journalist had asked if I was disappointed by the event. I had told him no — the entire experience had been so absurd it was almost transcendental.

In the end, the derby was a ridiculous spectacle, a microcosm of the New Hampshire primary itself. The whole “first in the nation” primary process often feels like a parasitic relationship between the media and the campaigns they cover. Who the real suckers are remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: there’s something undeniably fishy about the New Hampshire primary.

-30-

We Saved the "B" Buoy - For Now!

 

Save the "B" Buoy!

Thanks to comments by thousands of boaters and with the support of elected officials across the Commonwealth and around the region, the Coast Guard has delayed the plan to "discontinue" hundred of aids to navigation including the Boston Lighted Whistle Buoy B LLNR, better known as the "B" Buoy.

Though we understand the need for modernization, removing these aids to navigation - including the "B" Buoy - is a bad idea. Mariners rely on them for safety and guidance. Though traditional GPS and navigation apps are terrific, we are all just a dead battery away from relying on paper charts, magnetic compasses, buoys and other navigational aids to make it back to our home ports safely.

Moreover, one severe solar storm or electromagnetic pulse could wreak havoc with marine GPS navigation systems and cellular networks, putting both the commercial fleet and recreational vessels at risk. 

 

  

The proposed buoy discontinuation summary can be viewed through a smartphone or tablet by scanning the QR code above, or for more Proposal details with other navigation information, through the Coast Guard’s Local Notice to Mariners interactive tool on the NAVCEN web page at: Maritime Safety Information Products | Navigation Center here using follow the following steps.

1. Position the electronic chart to the area you wish to see. You may zoom in and out to view more detailed or expanded area. (Note: It’s recommended not to zoom too far out to help limit your selection, so the appropriate data is rendered)

2. At the top right of the page, left click the layers icon and select the Proposed Notice of Change layer, by checking the small box to the left. Once selected any current Proposal running in the LNM should appear, on the chart. The aids to navigation will be highlighted on the chart.

3. To view the proposed aid to navigation, left click on the highlighted buoy and an information box will appear with more detailed Proposed Notice of Change information. 

We expect the Coast Guard to come back with a revised plan in the coming months, and will let you know when the public comment period begins. 

To stay informed on this, follow bostonharbor on Facebook

 

 

From Boston to Miami Beach - With Love

 

 ❤️From Boston to Miami Beach - With Love❤️

The Cupid Splash “Polar Plunge” Fundraiser is coming to Miami Beach on Valentine’s Day weekend!

On Sunday, February 16^th, when water temperatures off Miami Beach are at their coldest, hundreds of brave souls will “get cold for a cause” at the 1^st Annual Miami Beach Cupid Splash. Contestants will compete for great prizes including two round trip tickets to any destination American Airlines serves in the Continental United States for biggest fundraiser, with other great prizes for the largest team and best costume. At noon participants will simultaneously dash into the water, making a very big splash!

 

According to event organizer Bruce Berman, the Miami Beach Cupid Splash was inspired by an annual event on Boston Harbor, which has generated more than $1 million dollars to support free youth environmental education and beach programs on the Bay State’s public beaches.

 

“For years I splashed in Boston Harbor for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, where the water temperature in February was a frigid 38 degrees,” said Berman, who served as Boston’s Bay Watcher for more than 30 years. “Now that I am older, wiser and spending the winter in South Beach, I am looking forward to continuing that tradition here in 305, where the water will be a chilly 68 degrees. Sure, we will be cold for a few minutes on the beach, but the warm feeling we will get from raising funds for a great cause will last a long time.”

 

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner welcomed the Cupid Splash to Miami Beach. "This event highlights our city's commitment to protecting Biscayne Bay," said Mayor Meiner. "Let's make a big splash and contribute to a safer future for our community."

100% of the pledges from the 2025 Miami Beach Cupid Splash will go to the Biscayne Bay Recovery Fund, managed at The Miami Foundation. Berman, who pioneered the Boston Splash, expects the event to raise $50,000 to support efforts to clean, protect and restore Biscayne Bay and support the Zeros Drownings Miami-Dade Initiative, as well as youth fishing, conservation and environmental education programs in 2025.

“Florida’s Biscayne Bay is a cherished resource for locals, an undeniable draw for tourists, and home to some of our State’s most iconic species, including storm-reducing mangroves and coral reefs,” said Miami-Dade’s Chief Bay & Water Resources Officer Loren Parra. “We’re inviting residents and tourists alike to take the plunge as we raise funds to protect our County’s blue heart, Biscayne Bay. We hope to see you all on the beach!”

This year WPLG Anchor, Reporter and Environmental Advocate Louis Aguirre will lead the charge into the sea on February 16^th at Collins Park Beach at 21^st Street.  Aguirre will also be honored as the first Miami Beach Cupid Splash H2O Hero for his outstanding efforts to focus public attention on efforts to cleanup Biscayne Bay and protect the marine environment.

 

“As a staunch defender of our planet's natural resources, including our beautiful bodies of water, I'm glad to be a part of the Miami Beach Cupid Splash to raise money for the Biscayne Bay Recovery Fund at The Miami Foundation,” said Aguirre. “I hope you will support my Splash with a contribution today - and register, start a team and join us on the Beach.”

You can make a tax-deductible contribution to support Louis Aguirre’s  Splash at https://charity.pledgeit.org/miamibeachcupidsplash/@Louis

This year’s Grand Prize for largest fundraiser is two round trip tickets to any destination American Airlines serves in the Continental United States, with other great  prizes for the largest team and best costume.

 

"Biscayne Bay is more than just a beautiful backdrop—it's the lifeblood of our community, economy, and environment," said Irela Bagué, former Chief Bay Officer for Miami-Dade County. "Let’s come together to show our love for the 'Blue Heart' of Miami-Dade! Register today, rally your friends, raise funds, and join us on the beach on February 16th for an unforgettable day of action and celebration. Together, we can make waves of change for Biscayne Bay—be part of the movement!"

You can make a tax-deductible contribution to support Irela Bague’s Splash at https://charity.pledgeit.org/miamibeachcupidsplash/@irelabague

It is easy to register, start a team, make a donation and raise funds to support the Miami Beach Cupid Splash at www.cupidsplash.org

 

Registration is free until February 1, so don’t delay. Register today at www.cupidsplash.org and join us at Collins Park Beach on February 16^th.

 

Learn more about the Miami Beach Cupid Splash on our blog at https://cupidsplash.blogspot.com/

Follow us on Instagram at Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cupid_splash/

 

Social Media Hashtags #cupidsplash #miamibeachcupidsplash

Hopefully Not!

Will this be the last Mass Bay Outfall Science Panel Meeting?

 

Thanks to Shane Dwyer of MASS DCR for this great video!

Please join us on Friday, February 9 for the annual public meeting of the Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel (OMSAP) related to scientific and technical matters of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)’s Deer Island outfall and any potential impacts of the discharge on its receiving waters. The meeting will be held from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM EST with a Public Interest Advisory Committee (PIAC) meeting to follow from 3:00 – 4:00 PM EST.

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 247 469 702 839
Passcode: grrEB8

Bruce Berman

2003 Commonwealth Avenue #26

Brighton, Massachusetts 02135

1-617-293-6243
bruce@bostonharbor.com

 

 

Michele Barden

US Environmental Protection Agency - Region 1

5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (06-4)

Boston, MA 02109-3912

Submitted via email: barden.michele@epa.gov

Claire Golden

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Surface Water Discharge Program 150 Presidential Way, Woburn, MA 01801

Submitted via email: MassDEP.npdes@mass.gov

Michele and Claire,

 

I am writing to you today as the Chair of the Public Interest Advisory Committee (PIAC) of the Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel (OMSAP) with my concerns and comments on the proposed revisions to the Deer Island NPDES permit MA0103284.

 

Though the 68 page permit and the accompanying 195 page fact sheet made great summer reading, they are complicated technical documents, which require subject matter expertise to evaluate.

 

To help me, PIAC, and the public to  better understand the proposed changes, I looked to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the Wastewater Advisory Committee (WAC). I share their concerns that the requirements in the draft concerning Ambient Monitoring, Harmful Algae Blooms, CSO sampling frequency, and storm event plans, which are unrealistic, overly proscriptive and inflexible, and place an undue burden on the 43 MWRA cities and towns.

I also urge you to carefully consider the comments from the Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel and ask you to include a Science Advisory Panel and a robust monitoring plan with specific questions in the permit.

 

It is particularly hard for me to imagine that you can pull together an effective monitoring plan in 30 days. It took more than one year, a well-attended scientific conference, and countless hours of peer reviewed research by OMSAP members and others to prepare the white papers on emerging contaminants and microplastics that inform the current monitoring efforts. The data set produced by the monitoring program shaped by OMSAP is invaluable to our understanding of the dramatic changes we have seen in the Southern Gulf of Maine in the past 30 years and likely will face in the coming years as well. Though the initial questions we framed together have been largely asked and answered, new questions have emerged which the monitoring needs to address.

I was pleased to see that in this draft you have revised the well intentioned, but unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious and costly decision to require the MWRA’s cities and towns to pull together individual storm event plans based on speculations about what the situation will be 100 years from now in just 12 months. Under the initial language in the prior draft permit, Community A and B might produce individual plans using very different assumptions and methodologies, while adjacent Community C would not be required to produce a plan at all. Planning for climate change is critically important, but to be useful it has to be comprehensive and not piecemeal.

This permit clearly took a very long time to produce, as we have been waiting for the US EPA’s promised draft permit for more than a decade. From my perspective, it seems unrealistic to expect the USEPA to thoughtfully revise the permit every five years, which they have been unable to do in the past.

At the same time, given the rapid changes to the Gulf of Maine due to global warming and storming, which have resulted in dramatic changes in the species, extent and duration of algae blooms, and the range of black sea bass, lobsters and invasive species like green crabs and the Asian shore crab, five years is an awfully long time.

Under the circumstances, I’d urge you to build more flexibility into the permit, and to continue to provide opportunities for both independent scientists with subject matter expertise and the public to have near real time input into thresholds, exceedances and the monitoring regime.

For more than 20 years, OMSAP and PIAC have played a critical role in helping the regulators and the public understand and respond to the impacts of the Mass Bay Outfall on the changing marine environment. For reasons that I still do not fully understand - in part because those who made the decision within the US EPA are not permitted to freely discuss their thinking – the US EPA has chosen to remove both OMSAP and PIAC from the permit, which I believe is a big mistake.

 

The men and women who volunteer to serve on OMSAP bring subject matter expertise and institutional resources that have clarified our thinking and increased our understanding of the impacts of the 250 million gallons of effluent we currently discharge into Mass Bay.

 

Their work has made it possible for us to keep the commitment Judge A. David Mazzone and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Founding Chair Beth Nicholson made when the Mass Bay Outfall went online in September of 2000: The Boston Harbor Cleanup would not come at the expense of Mass Bay or Cape Cod.

 

By my calculation, OMSAP members have contributed more (much more) than $4 million dollars in in-kind contributions to make certain that the Boston Harbor cleanup did not come at the expense of the health of Mass Bay. The idea that the expert advice and institutional resources this panel provides can be replaced by a handful of well-intentioned government regulators with very full plates seems silly.

 

PIAC also performs two functions that are critical to the continued success of the Boston Harbor Cleanup. We share the public’s questions and concerns about the impacts and potential impacts of the outfall on the public’s health and the health of the Boston Harbor, Broad Sound, Mass Bay and the Gulf of Maine with OMSAP, and share OMSAP’s answers and insights with the public and the press.

 

Over the past twenty years I have often reached out to the group and individual members of OMSAP with questions from the public and the press about algae blooms, fish kills, unexplained marine mammal mortality, dissolved oxygen concentration and saturation, and emerging contaminants. Sometimes they seemed silly. Sometimes not.

 

In every case, no matter what the question, I have received a prompt, forthright, and collegial response. They have attended numerous meetings on their own time and at their own expense to explain complicated facts to sometimes skeptical advocates, activists and the public.

 

Over the same period, I have often reached out to the men and women of EPA Region 1 with similar questions, many of whom I consider my friends and allies. Though they have often been frank and forthcoming, too many times I have been told that they cannot freely discuss the matter with me on the record because of legal, political or policy concerns.

 

In 2017, for example, Trump Administration officials e-mailed staff to inform them that they could no longer discuss agency research or departmental restrictions with anyone outside of the agency—including news media. That same administration subsequently attempted in 2020 to limit which scientific data and studies the EPA could even consider in its decision making.

 

Good decisions require good data, sound science, subject matter expertise and peer review. Good public policy requires transparency and the free exchange of ideas.

 

For more than 20 years, OMSAP and PIAC have provided decision makers and the public with good data, subject matter expertise, peer review, transparency and the free exchange of ideas and information critical to informed decision making.

The direct cost of both OMSAP and PIAC to the Commonwealth is minimal – postage, a part time staffer, and occasionally lunch at a meeting. I strongly urge you to find a way to keep both OMSAP and PIAC in the permit. If it helps, I’ll buy lunch for as long as I am Chair.

 

Thanks for your time and attention.

 

All the best,

 

 

 

 

E. Bruce Berman, Jr., Chair,
Public Interest Advisory Committee, Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel