CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

 I once testified before a Congressional Subcommittee Hearing. The subcommittee was headed by congressman Gerry Studds. The subject matter was the impact of the Boston Harbor wastewater outfall planned to discharge nine and one half miles into Massachusetts Bay. As EPA’S Chief Engineer on the project I was chosen to testify. Somehow the representatives on Cape Cod got it into their heads that the proposed outfall was going to shut down all of the Cape beaches. The Hearing was held at the JFK library and was packed with Cape Cod Officials. An aid to the Congressman asked if I would like to meet with the Congressman before the Hearing. Of course I would. As I shook hands it was obvious to me by his body language he was not pleased to meet me. Sure enough the questions were hostile.” Wasn’t the outfall going to disrupt the Right Whales migration and wasn’t it going to affect the beaches on the Cape” were among the many questions he asked. I stood my ground and replied that our scientists concluded there would be negligible impacts. After the hearing several members from the MWRA asked why he was so hostile. I said it was possibly to show his constituents from the Cape his concern for their issues.

When I got back to my office I looked up who else the Congressman represented in his district. Lo and behold it included the City of Quincy whose Wollastan beach would benefit from a cleaner harbor. Since the population of Quincy and its surroundings far exceeded the year round population of the Cape wouldn’t the Mayor want to know what his Congressman was up to. I thought he might. I called the consulting engineer for the City and relayed what had happened at the Hearing. Now I can’t tell you what transpired between the Mayor and the Congressman. I can tell you I never heard from the Congressman on this issue again.

THE TUTOR

THE TUTOR 

I was not prepared for college. What you say…you went to the premier high school in Boston, Boston Latin and you were not prepared. Let me qualify my statement. Had I gone to Harvard or Yale or any of the liberal arts colleges I would have been more than prepared. The curriculum at Boston Latin in the 1950’s was very liberal arts. I studied German, French, Latin, English Literature Ancient History, Current History etc. What I didn’t study was any of the sciences.

At the time of my graduation From Latin in 1952 I had to make a choice as to what college I would attend. Most of my classmates were heading to Harvard because that is where their fathers and grandfathers went after graduating. Coming from humble parents in South Boston I knew I wouldn’t fit in. Luckily at this time the country was facing a major shortage of engineers. How was I going to get in an engineering school with such a poor background in the sciences.

At this critical moment in my decision making process I became aware of a situation that was going to change my life forever. The president of M.I.T., Mr. James R. Killian, was unhappy that his graduates were super Scientists and Engineers but not grounded in the humanities…graduates that today we would  call ”geeks.”He was going to change that and what better way than to invite high school graduates like us Latin scholars that had a liberal arts background. And to make it even easier he would grant the top 15 percent of the Graduating Class at Latin special status. Since I was in that group I applied and got in.

Several of my classmates also joined me. The first two years were brutal. The freshman class had students from two of the foremost Science based High Schools in NYC…the Brooklyn Technical High School and the Bronx School of Science. Their curriculum was just the opposite of ours… four years of pure science studies. Unfortunately 50 percent of my fellow Latin classmates dropped out after the second year. How did I survive?

I was fortunate to have my cousin George, really I consider him my brother since we lived in the same household together for 30 plus years, to tutor me. He had already graduated from Tufts University with an Electrical Engineering degree. There is no question I would not have survived without that tutoring. I graduated from M.I.T. with a Bachelor of Science degree In Civil Engineering and later a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Northeastern University. None of this could have happened without my Tutor. I will forever be in debt to my brother George.

HATCH ACT

THE HATCH ACT

 

I never discuss politics with my friends. I learned a long time ago that people have entrenched feelings that are seldom changed by honest discussions. As a Federal employee I was protected from politics by the Hatch Act. Prior to its passage politicians took advantage of employers by requiring them to campaign and raise funds on their behalf. I felt safe from politicians, or so I thought.

In 1984 I was charged by the Regional Administrator (RA) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be the Chief engineer overseeing the Federal role in the cleanup of Boston Harbor. As was required I had to report on occasion on the progress toward that end. In 1988 the RA ask me for a report on the water quality of the harbor. We had barely begun the project so partially treated wastewater was still being discharged by both the Nut and Deer island plants. And on rainy days the overflow of stormwater and wastewater was entering the harbor with no treatment at all. The conditions were deplorable to say the least. So that is what I reported.

1988 happened to be a Presidential election year. Then Vice President H.W. Bush was running a tough no holds barred campaign against his political opponent Mass. Governor Michael Dukakis. I was watching the evening news one night and there was the Vice President in a boat cruising around Boston Harbor saying things that sounded quite familiar to me. “These waters are in deplorable conditions” and he quoted other parts of my report as well. At the press conference that followed he put the blame entirely at the feet of Governor Dukakis. It was totally unfair since the Governor had taken action to create a new Agency to address the problem and significant progress was being made toward the planning, design and construction of new treatment facilities. But what politician plays fair in the heat of a campaign.

Of course that wasn’t the reason Gov. Dukakis lost but it sure didn’t help. I was kind of miffed for a while but I got over it. Actually in the end it actually helped the cause in the cleanup. The President after making such a deal about the pollution of Boston Harbor felt he had to do something. He sent the Administrator of the EPA William K. Reilly to Boston in 1990 to get a first hand report on what progress was being made. The RA and I accompanied Mr. Reilly on a Coast Guard helicopter to tour the harbor from the air. Dodging both incoming and outgoing air traffic from Logan, I pointed out to Mr. Reilly the beaches impacted by the polluted waters. Among the beaches were Carson and City Point beaches where I swam in my youth. Thanks to the President and the Speaker of the House “Tip” O’Neill sufficient Federal Monies were made available to complete the project.

Today we have a state of the art treatment plant on Deer Island with an outfall discharging 9 miles into Mass. Bay. Boston Harbor today is one of the cleanest harbors in the country. I am proud to have played a part in its cleanup.