MA Environmental Bond Bill Statement

The recent coastal flooding and related intense snow storms have highlighted the urgent need to implement climate solutions. The effects of climate change are not limited to the Commonwealth’s coastal cities and every municipality must be prepared to deal with increasingly severe weather and its impacts. Governor Baker deserves praise for advancing legislation that incorporates much-needed funding to explore nature-based resiliency solutions, encourage additional planning and vulnerability studies, and provides more adequate resources to communities to reduce their climate risks.

Equally important, the funds allocated to environmental protection and recreational resource stewardship reinforce the critical role that our environment and more specifically our public parks, forests, beaches, playgrounds, trails and watersheds play in our communities’ and citizen’s abilities to thrive while mitigating and adapting to our changing climate. There is a clear and critical connection between stewarding our natural resources for public use and enjoyment and preparing for climate change and we applaud the Administration for its thoughtful integration of these two priorities.

This bill both sends the message that we must act now and provides the resources to do so. Boston Harbor Now will work collaboratively with the State and our partners to advance the Environmental Bond Bill through the legislative process and promote additional climate change-related legislation as a statewide priority.