Bill > S671

This bill establishes the Merrimack River Collaborative (MRC), a coordinating entity focused on improving and monitoring the water quality of the Merrimack River. The Collaborative will be managed by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission in partnership with the Merrimack River Watershed Council and the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments. Its membership will include a diverse range of stakeholders from federal and state legislative offices, municipal governments, state agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection, non-governmental organizations such as the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards, and local universities. The Collaborative's key objectives include convening a working group, improving public education about river water quality, standardizing water quality monitoring data, tracking known and emerging pollutants, identifying legislative and implementation projects to enhance water quality, and connecting members with relevant funding opportunities. Members will serve without compensation and will be appointed within 30 days of the act's effective date. The group will conduct public hearings along the river, select independent consultants as needed, and produce an annual report by December 15th of each year, starting in 2025, which will be submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives. The first meeting of the Collaborative is mandated to occur no later than May 1st, 2025.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S671