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Coastal groups urge permit streamlining and more funding for salt‑marsh restoration
Summary
Conservation groups and coastal municipalities urged the committee to combine grant money with permit reforms to speed salt‑marsh and salt‑marsh migration work, arguing current permitting (Chapter 91, MEPA, Wetlands Act) and costs slow restoration at a time of rapid sea‑level rise.
What happened: Environmental and land‑trust witnesses, including representatives from Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations and The Nature Conservancy, praised the bond bill’s land‑conservation and coastal resilience allocations but urged legislative changes to speed ecological restoration. They asked the committee to consider enactment or incorporation of separate legislation (cited in testimony as House 1052 / Senate 557: the “Accelerating Wetland Restoration” bills) to clarify permitting for restoration projects.
Why it matters: Witnesses said salt…
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