Massachusetts’ Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture held a hearing Tuesday on the dangers of underground storage tanks.
Committee Co-Chair Smitty Pignatelli says more regulations on the installation and maintenance of underground storage tanks are needed.
Pignatelli of the 4th Berkshire District says underground storage can be dangerous.
“What we are experiencing down in Great Barrington, with the old dry cleaners on Main Street,” Pignatelli says, “you know, contaminants have leeched into the ground. The town doesn’t know how far it could go. The costs of remediation are very expensive, with the inability to sell it because the buyer knows that they are responsible for the cleanup.”
The Democrat took over the committee after 1st Berkshire District Representative Gailanne Cariddi died in June.
