Bill > H4166

This bill establishes comprehensive climate adaptation and resilience requirements for Massachusetts transportation infrastructure. It mandates that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, regional transit authorities, and other transportation agencies conduct detailed vulnerability assessments and adaptation cost assessments for their infrastructure, including highways, mass transit facilities, vehicles, and equipment. These assessments must identify climate risks like flooding, extreme heat, and severe weather, prioritize adaptation strategies, and evaluate the financial costs and potential savings of infrastructure improvements. The assessments must also consider whether assets serve environmental justice communities and include plans for maintaining service during climate-related disruptions. The bill requires these assessments to be completed within 18 months and updated every 4 years, with reports submitted to legislative committees. Additionally, the bill creates a special commission on transportation finance to investigate comprehensive public transportation and roadway pricing strategies aimed at achieving the state's net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050. The commission will study funding sources, analyze equity impacts, review transit demand patterns, and develop recommendations for sustainable transportation financing, with an interim report due in 12 months and a final report in 18 months.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4166