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Thursday, August 14, 2008 Governor Patrick signed the Environmental Bond Bill. Text of the bill as signed by the Governor can be seen here or by going to our "Bond Bill Text" page.
The Coalition offers its thanks to Governor Patrick and the Legislature for their leadership, support and approval of the largest Environmental Bond authorization in the Commonwealth’s history.
The Environmental Bond will provide the capital resources to protect open space, improve water and air quality, repair and maintain public parks, increase energy efficiency, support our agricultural resources, and much more.
The Bond also includes a state income tax credit for landowners who donate qualifying conservation or agricultural land to a municipality, the state, or a nonprofit conservation organization (effective January 2010). The tax incentive program, which the Governor sent back to the Legislature with a $2 million per year cap, needs legislative approval. The incentive is a great complement to the capital funds provided by the Environmental Bond, and will enhance and expand the state’s ability to preserve natural areas.
To all of the Coalition members, thank you again for the thousands of phone calls and emails to legislators, dozens of articles in the media, and hundreds of visits to the State House. Our combined efforts—representing 268 organizations and more than 400,000 households statewide—clearly made a difference and showed the breadth and depth of support for the Environmental Bond.
Additional background information on the importance of the Environmental Bond is available here.
The 2008 Environmental Bond Bill –
Protecting Massachusetts' Future
The Environmental Bond Bill is the single most important environmental bill to be considered by the Legislature. Projects funded through the Environmental Bond directly affect communities across the state by protecting natural areas, safeguarding water quality, restoring rivers and streams, providing for dam removal, supporting working farms, building our economy and improving our quality of life.
The Environmental Bond is the cornerstone of the Commonwealth's long-term investment in its environment. It provides investments over the next five years for local and statewide projects that protect critical natural areas and wetlands, maintain our parks, beaches and bike paths, offer municipal aid, and more.
The Coalition for the Environmental Bond, representing 250 groups and businesses, a combined membership of more than 400,000 Massachusetts families, have united to advocate for passage this legislative session before money for all the programs runs out.
Massachusetts needs to pass the bond in the 2008 session
The 2008 Environmental Bond will provide the capital funds for vital state environmental programs over the next five years. The 2002 Environmental Bond Bill (and subsequent "Patch Bonds" in 2004, 2006 & 2007) funded more than 76 different programs with important activities around the state. Funds from the 2002 Bond have been largely used up, and many important programs are running out of money, putting our environment, health and safety at risk. Without a new Environmental Bond, many environmental programs will face major cuts that affect our communities, outdoor recreational activities, and natural resources.
Municipal Benefits
Protecting our natural areas provides our communities with financial stability, increases in municipal services and preserves our neighborhoods.
However, our working farms and forests, wildlife habitat, wetlands, beaches, and urban green spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate. A recent study showed that, every day more than 40 acres of woods, fields, or farms are converted to residential, commercial, or industrial uses in Massachusetts.1 This trend has continued through multiple administrations, economic fluctuations, and changing real estate markets.
Endangered Species
The Environmental Bond will help protect some of the most important natural resources from development and would protect many of the 178 species of animals and 264 species of plants that are endangered, threatened or of special concern (according to the state's Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program) 2
Water Quality and Dams
The Bond would assure the continuation of water quality protection programs that maintain the supply and quality of our drinking water, so fundamental to our communities and businesses.
Of the more than 3,000 dams in Massachusetts, approximately 350 are rated as High Hazard, approximately 748 are rated as Significant Hazard and the rest are rated as Low Hazard3. Environmental Bond funds provide for the enforcement of laws requiring the repair and maintenance of these structures and assistance to keep them sound and the potential for stream restoration by breaching or removing dams, in appropriate circumstances.
Local Economies
Programs funded through the Environmental Bond like the Self-Help grants and Urban Self-Help grants serve as local aid to communities to protect resources and quality of life. Some items, like the dam removal, drinking water supply, and wetland protection programs funded through the Environmental Bond are critical to protecting our communities' safety and human health. Land protection programs also are vital to the state's tourist economy – the third largest industry in our state.
Tourism:
Tourism is the third largest industry in the Commonwealth and, according to the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, "travelers directly spent over $14.2 billion in Massachusetts during 2006, up 8.6 percent from 2005."4 That translates into 207,000 jobs.5 Tourists visit the Commonwealth to enjoy many of the opportunities the Environmental Bond protects – natural areas for hiking, hunting and fishing, parks, beaches, waterways and more.
Quality of Life:
The quality of our environment determines the quality of life for citizens and visitors and is vital to the creation of new jobs, determining who relocates and who stays in the state. Quality of life issues are one of the leading factors CEOs use in determining where to locate their business. Massachusetts' wealth of skilled labor, natural beauty and recreation opportunities contributes to our attractiveness to new businesses.
1 "Losing Ground: At What Cost? Third Edition of the Losing Ground Series"; Massachusetts Audubon; http://www.massaudubon.org/PDF/advocacy/losingground/LosingGround_1.pdf; Page 3
2 MassWildlife, MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species_info/species_home.htm
3 "Massachusetts River Restore Program: Dam Removal"; Commonwealth of Massachusetts Riverways Program. http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/pdf/factsheet_riverrestore_final.pdf
4 The Economic Impact of Travel on Massachusetts Counties 2006, A Study Prepared for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism by the Research Department of the Travel Industry Association, September 2007
5 Ibid.