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Lawmakers Hear Push to Give State Power to Enforce Regional Drought Limits
Summary
Witnesses and lawmakers urged the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to pass bills that would let state agencies set region-specific limits on nonessential outdoor water use during droughts, citing repeated recent droughts, wildfire risk and impacts to farms and rivers.
Members of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard broad testimony urging passage of legislation to create a more uniform, science-based response to drought across Massachusetts.
Supporters told the committee that the state’s patchwork of local restrictions leaves rivers and wells vulnerable and confuses residents. "We now see so-called 10‑year droughts every two years," David Melli of the Environmental League of Massachusetts told the panel, urging lawmakers to "trust the experts to do their jobs." Senator Eldridge, a bill sponsor, said the proposal would let the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) implement regionally tailored conservation measures that move beyond municipal-by-municipal actions.
The bills under consideration…
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