The Conservation Commission has approved a project and given a permit that I don believe will protect the river. What can I do as a citizen?
The Wetland Protection Act (WPA) provides an avenue for you to appeal the Conservation Commission’s decision if you believe it does not uphold the public interests identified under the Act. You can initiate an appeal by sending a letter to DEP requesting that the Department take action and issue a Superceding Order of Conditions for the project. The letter must be sent by certified mail or hand delivery within 10 business days of the issuing an of the Order of Conditions and must be accompanied by a Fee Transmittal Form available on the DEP web page http://www.mass.gov/dep/appkits/wetfee.doc and a check. If this is unsuccessful, you can appeal DEP’s Superceding Order of Conditions by requesting that DEP hold an Adjudicatory Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Any person can appeal a Conservation Commission decision to DEP. However, to be eligible to appeal DEP’s Superceding Order by requesting an Adjudicatory Hearing, you must be able to show that you participated in the
