The Baker-Polito Administration recently confirmed that $80,000 in grants have been awarded to three municipalities and one community group as part of the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program. The TAG Program, administered by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), provides funding to enhance citizen participation in assessment and cleanup activities at waste disposal sites in their communities. Awards may be used to obtain expert assistance, increase public participation, and provide public education.
“We are pleased to offer this program to assist citizens in understanding the complex information on which site cleanup decisions are based and promote more informed citizen involvement in planning for site cleanups,” said Energy and Environment Affairs Secretary Beth Card. “The grants will give local communities a voice in how these sites are assessed and eventually remediated.”
“MassDEP established the TAG Program to encourage public participation,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “Our grant recipients are working on projects that inform municipal and residential groups more effectively, promote greater awareness and increase public engagement in the assessment and cleanup activities at disposal sites in their communities.”