BOSTON — A lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court by a Charles River environmental advocacy group accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of failing to notify high-density commercial and residential property developers of their responsibility to obtain stormwater discharge permits, a move that comes ahead of the federal government's plan to enact a series of expensive regulations on cities and towns located in the river's 308-square-mile watershed.
The complaint, filed by the New England-based Conservation Law Foundation and the Weston-based Charles River Watershed Association, looks to require the EPA to force "stormwater dischargers" to obtain discharge permits.
"Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age" is the latest exhibition of marvel at the Peabody Essex Museum. Now through June 5, visitors of the PEM are welcome to explore a sensational presentation of art and cultural innovation through commerce, using all five senses. The museum, in the center of Salem, Mass., is the exclusive U.S. venue for this series, which was five years in the making and co-organized by the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam.
Columns of cinnamon, clove and peppercorns artfully infuse the gallery air as the exhibition begins to tell tales of adventure, domesticity, fashion, gastronomy, intrigue, and, sadly, the massacre of thousands of Banda Islanders in the name of nutmeg. The spicy essence of inspiration offers an aromatic hint of what guests will inhale as they follow the flow of galleries exploring the museum's interpretations of exotic ports of call across China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam before sailing back to Amsterdam's hub.
