Bill > H2009

This bill establishes the "Right Whale Research and Protection Fund" within the Commonwealth's books, managed by the division of coastal zone management, to fund efforts aimed at reducing right whale fatalities in Massachusetts coastal waters, including supporting the northeast implementation team. The fund will prioritize grants to companies, public higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations within the Commonwealth with a proven track record in right whale research, such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Center for Coastal Studies, and the New England Aquarium. Expenditures will focus on collecting data about interactions between northern right whales and vessels in areas like Cape Cod Bay and the Great South Channel, improving the mandatory ship reporting system, enhancing fishing and lobstering gear to be safer for whales, and developing better methods for remote monitoring and using acoustical and optical systems to prevent whale deaths. The fund will be replenished through gifts, grants, appropriations, donations, federal reimbursements, interest earned, and proceeds from special obligation bond sales, specifically authorized by the "Right Whale Research and Protection Loan Act of 2012," which allows for the issuance of up to $2,000,000 in bonds to support these protection efforts, with all principal and interest payments to be made from the General Fund. The state treasurer will manage the fund's investments to maximize interest while ensuring safety, and the state auditor will conduct an annual audit, with the director of coastal zone management reporting annually to legislative committees on the fund's financial activity and expenditures.