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Bill > H732

MA H732

Protecting the natural resources of the Commonwealth

summary

Introduced
01/22/2019
In Committee
01/22/2019
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
12/31/2020

Introduced Session

191st General Court

Bill Summary

Relative to environmental land replacement. Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

AI Summary

This bill, titled "Protecting the natural resources of the Commonwealth," aims to prevent a net loss of land protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, which covers conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources. The key provisions are: 1. Public owners making a disposition or change in use of Article 97 land must acquire or provide replacement land of equal or greater area, comparable or better natural resource value, and not less than the equivalent kind of real property interest being replaced. 2. Public owners must notify the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs before making a disposition or change in use of Article 97 land and provide information about the proposal and any plan for replacement land. 3. The Secretary can grant waivers to the replacement land requirement in certain circumstances, such as transfers between state agencies or municipalities, temporary uses, or insignificant land areas. 4. The Secretary must provide recommendations to the state legislature on proposed legislation involving Article 97 land, including whether the proposal complies with the no net loss requirement. 5. Municipalities, state agencies, and other public owners must follow specific public hearing and approval processes before making a disposition or change in use of Article 97 land. 6. The Secretary must establish a notification system and website to inform the public about proposed Article 97 land dispositions and changes in use. Overall, the bill aims to strengthen protections for publicly-owned conservation land in Massachusetts by requiring replacement of any lost land and increasing transparency and public input in the process.

Committee Categories

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Sponsors (69)

Brian Ashe (D),  Ruth Balser (D),  Christine Barber (D),  Mike Barrett (D),  Jennifer Benson (D),  David Biele (D),  Natalie Blais (D),  Tackey Chan (D),  Michelle Ciccolo (D),  Mike Connolly (D),  Edward Coppinger (D),  Daniel Cullinane (D),  Mike Day (D),  Marjorie Decker (D),  Marcos Devers (D),  Sal DiDomenico (D),  Mindy Domb (D),  Paul Donato (D),  Michelle DuBois (D),  Carolyn Dykema (D),  Jamie Eldridge (D),  Dylan Fernandes (D),  Sean Garballey (D),  Denise Garlick (D),  Colleen Garry (D),  Carmine Gentile (D),  Carlos González (D),  Tami Gouveia (D),  Rich Haggerty (D),  Stephen Hay (D),  Natalie Higgins (D),  Russell Holmes (D),  Dan Hunt (D),  Pat Jehlen (D),  Louis Kafka (D),  Mary Keefe (D),  Kay Khan (D),  David LeBoeuf (D),  Jack Lewis (D),  Jason Lewis (D),  David Linsky (D),  Jay Livingstone (D),  Joan Lovely (D),  Adrian Madaro (D),  John Mahoney (D),  Christina Minicucci (D),  Brian Murray (D),  Tram Nguyen (D),  Patrick O'Connor (R),  Jim O'Day (D),  Alice Peisch (D),  Denise Provost (D),  Angelo Puppolo (D),  Becca Rausch (D),  Maria Robinson (D),  Dave Rogers (D),  Danny Ryan (D),  Lindsay Sabadosa (D),  Jon Santiago (D),  Angelo Scaccia (D),  Paul Schmid (D),  Mike Soter (R),  Tom Stanley (D),  Bruce Tarr (R),  Steve Ultrino (D),  RoseLee Vincent (D),  Tommy Vitolo (D),  Tom Walsh (D),  Bud Williams (D), 

Last Action

Accompanied S459 (on 10/30/2019)
(4 Companion Bills)

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Document Type Source Location
State Bill Page https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H732
Bill https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H732.pdf
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