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Boston Globe

Healey's $3B bill seeks to future-proof Mass. against flash floods and more

If passed by the Legislature, the so-called 'Mass Ready Act' would be a historic investment in climate-readiness, said Stephanie Cooper, the state's undersecretary for the environment — 'the biggest ever.' Advertisement During a six hour hearing Tuesday before the joint Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the overwhelming reception for the bill was positive, said Senator Rebecca Rausch of Needham, the committee's co-chair. 'The base has a lot of really strong pieces in it,' she said. 'I'm looking forward to kind of digging in further and to building upon it.' But in some cases — such as the availability of grants for local preparedness, the mitigation of air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods, and the protection of nature — advocates say it doesn't go far enough. Advertisement The Nature For Massachusetts Coalition, made up of more than 40 local environmental groups, said the bill doesn't provide sufficient funds for the acquisition, restoration, or improvement of nature, which is necessary for many reasons including the sequestration of carbon. The bill includes $340 million for the five-year term of the bond, but Sam Anderson, director of legislative and government affairs at Mass Audubon, which is a member of the coalition, said that's 'a fraction of what's needed to actually meet our goals.' At the hearing, many speakers voiced support for increased funding for the state's Related : The act includes $93 million in authorization for seawalls and dam repairs and upgrades, and it establishes a $200 million 'Resilience Revolving Fund' that would provide low-interest loans to municipalities, tribal governments, and water and wastewater districts to improve stormwater systems, restore natural systems, and enhance infrastructure that can reduce flood and heat risks. As the revolving fund loans get repaid, the money can be loaned out again. It's a program modeled after existing revolving funds for clean water and drinking water, which have seen that for every dollar of initial state and federal investment over the lifetime of the program, three dollars have gone out in loans, according to Antos. A $3 billion bill may seem hefty, but spending this money on prevention now could save a lot down the line by readying the state for the increased extreme weather events triggered by a warming planet, state officials and advocates said. Advertisement Already, there's proof. An earlier culvert replacement program swapped undersized culverts — which couldn't handle increased stream flow during heavy rain events, leading to flooded out roads — with ones that were properly sized. As a result of those changes, roads that previously flooded out repeatedly 'have not overtopped since, said Katherine Antos, the state's undersecretary of decarbonization and resilience. 'They were able to withstand the 2023 and subsequent storm events that we have had,' she said. In some ways, the bill is innovating, by proposing big, pricey investments in resilience. In others — as with the requirement that flood risk is disclosed to homebuyers and renters — it's catching up. 'Honestly, Massachusetts was behind what many other states have done in terms of requiring flood disclosures,' Antos said. As the legislature continues to work on the bill, Rausch said she's hoping one issue that's not currently included — plastics — gets added in. 'We certainly heard in the testimony … about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels,' Rausch said. That goes beyond energy. 'With 99 percent of plastics originating with fossil fuels, we have to address particularly single-use plastics,' she said. Related : If passed, this would be the fourth successive major climate bill, building on legislation that has set ambitious, legally binding targets for cutting climate-warming pollutions, bolstered the offshore wind industry and other clean energy resources, and streamlined regulatory processes to allow for more clean energy to power the state. But it would be the first passed during the new Trump administration, when federal funds for climate resilience and clean energy are being eliminated. Advertisement 'We know that we can't fully fill the hole that the federal government is leaving,' Cooper said. 'But we know that it's that much more important for us to invest, and to do it really wisely.' Sabrina Shankman can be reached at