Hearing held on $1.6B, 5-year environmental bond bill

On May 15, local officials and the MMA testified before the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets in support of a $1.6 billion, five-year environmental bond bill.

The funding would be used for acquiring and maintaining environmental assets, energy programs, and the repair of the state’s aging water infrastructure.

The bill (H. 4009) would provide $321 million for land preservation and parks, $85 million for seaports, and $57 million for the Water Pollution Abatement Trust.

The bill includes an “accelerated energy program,” funded at $250 million, to boost the energy efficiency of public buildings, and would add municipal buildings to the program.

The bond bill would increase from $20 million to $35 million the money available for a revolving trust fund used for the repair or removal of dams and the repair of seawalls. It would provide $25 million for the Small Communities Water Infrastructure Grant Fund, which would be available to municipalities with fewer than 20,000 residents.

The bill would significantly increase capital appropriations over what the governor originally requested ($911 million).

At the hearing, the MMA asked the committee to incorporate a separate water infrastructure bill (H. 690) into the environmental bond bill. H. 609, which would authorize $2 billion in borrowing over the next 10 years to finance municipal water projects, was sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Dykema, who served as co-chair of the Water Infrastructure Finance Commission.

The environmental bond bill was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on March 17. Once it is reported out by the Bonding Committee, it will go to the full House.

• MMA letter to Bonding Committee urges support for environmental bond bill