Healy administration unveils Mass Ready Act bond proposal to fund statewide resilience projects

Braintree — Governor Maura Healey onstage in Braintree announced the Mass Ready Act, a bond proposal that would authorize roughly $315 million in investments across coastal resilience, water infrastructure, biodiversity and related programs and establish a resilience revolving loan fund to provide low‑interest financing for cities, towns, tribal governments and water districts.

The bill “gives them tools to act,” said Rebecca Tepper, secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, noting the package would authorize $200,000,000 for coastal resilience and $20,000,000 to support statewide biodiversity goals. “This $315,000,000 investment gives them tools to act,” Tepper said.

The Mass Ready Act, as described by administration officials and local leaders at the announcement, would combine bond funding, grant programs and a new revolving loan fund. Officials said the bond would prioritize removing unsafe dams, right‑sizing culverts and small bridges, upgrading stormwater and drinking‑water systems, supporting municipal parks and boat ramps, and accelerating projects that reduce flood and wildfire risk. The administration also proposed funding for food‑security infrastructure and a PFAS remediation allocation; Tepper said the bill includes $5,000,000 for clean water infrastructure and PFAS remediation and funding to support food programs that deliver an estimated 4,500,000 meals per month under the food‑security…