ENVIRO-BOND - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Executive Director of the Action Committee

Len Gonsalves, Executive Director of the Action Committee who has headed up this initiative said, "This grant award has been very well received by the town's harbormasters and shellfish officers. We expect boaters to embrace the program as well, and we think they will be very happy with the product. Although we are supplying boaters with free bilge socks for a single season, once we educate the boating public as to the value of using hydrocarbon absorbing bilge socks, we expect that they will buy their own in future years." The retail cost for the selected type of bilge sock is estimated to be ten to fifteen dollars. According to Mr. Gonsalves, the free bilge sock is part of a concerted effort by municipalities to address pollution inputs to Buzzards Bay including stormwater discharges and failed septic systems. He noted that area officials have been working on coordinating on oil spill response, and that the Buzzards Bay Action Committee has been promoting state legislation that would empower Buzzards Bay harbormasters to enforce state fueling regulations at marinas, and to also ensure that each marina have available to it oil containment boom should a fueling spill occur.