New Ecology Association To Plan Spring Offensive

Representatives from over 50 New England environmental action groups wound up a two-day conference here yesterday by creating the New England Ecology Confederation. The new group will coordinate a "spring offensive" on environmental problems in New England, including action for the April 22 national teach-in day.

The conference adopted a draft of a constitution for the Confederation and called for a meeting of member groups for May 2 to adopt or reject the draft. A steering committee will operate the Confederation headquarters at 308 Boylston St. in Boston until then.

Antonio Rossmann, a second-year Law student, who chaired the conference, said that the Confederation will not plan any specific action. "Local groups will decide their own actions. We will act more as a clearing house for information and a center for communications," he said.

The conference did, however, discuss the viability of various tactics, including blocking major highways to make the public aware of the danger of pollution from automobiles and sending no-deposit no-return cans and bottles back to the companies which make them.

"Our primary goal will be education," Rossmann said. "We have to convince the public that it is necessary to change their life styles and we must also fight the system which uses pollution for profit."

The idea for the New England Confederation came from a similar organization founded in November by over 200 California organizations meeting at Stanford. This weekend's conference was called by the Cambridge Ecology Action Committee early in January.

In other anti-pollution action, the Harvard Law School Environmental Law Society has drafted a bill which would enable private citizens to bring suits against polluters in Massachusetts. The bill was filed in the legislature by Senator Beryl Cohen (D-Brookline), and will have its hearing on February 10.

Another bill for the same purpose is expected from Governor Sargent who in his annual Message cited such a measure as one of his executive priorities.