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 infrastructure grant program.

Why it matters: The administration framed the bill as a state response to worsening extreme weather and local infrastructure needs. “Every dollar invested through this bond bill … is gonna provide another $10 in benefits to our families and to our communities,” Governor Healey said at the event, arguing the measure would reduce repair costs and community disruption when severe storms hit.

Local officials, conservation groups, municipal associations and farmers who spoke at the announcement endorsed the bill’s combination of funding and permitting reforms. Steve Long, director of policy and partnerships for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, called the package “the whole package” and said it offered a multifaceted approach “to help Massachusetts meet the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.” Adam, the executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, praised the stakeholder process and said the proposal reflected municipal needs for water, coastal and MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) funding.

Farmers described concrete benefits. Ben Clark of Clarkdale Farms in Deerfield said state recovery grants and farm‑focused programs helped his operation recover from recent extreme‑weather years; “my farm was started in 1915 by my great grandfather,” Clark said, and he described using prior state and federal funds to buy frost protection and renovate infrastructure. Clark said those supports made it possible to keep staff and continue production after damaging freeze and flood events.

Program and process details cited by administration officials at the event included:

- A proposed $315 million total investment package, including $200 million for coastal resilience and $20 million for biodiversity priorities, according to EEA remarks.

- A new resilience revolving fund that would offer low‑interest loans to municipalities, tribal governments and water districts for projects such as stormwater systems, water upgrades and road improvements.

- Continued funding for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, which EEA said has helped 99 communities complete local climate risk assessments.

- A $5,000,000 allocation for PFAS remediation and clean water infrastructure and funding aimed at expanding food‑security infrastructure tied to farm and producer supports.

Officials repeatedly framed the package as both resilience and economic development: Tamara Small, CEO of NAOP Massachusetts, said the bill would pair expedited permitting for housing with environmental protections and resilience investments. Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL‑CIO, emphasized including workers and labor interests in implementation and said the administration’s stakeholder approach helped shape the proposal.

Next steps: Administration officials said the Mass Ready Act is a bond bill to be filed with the Legislature; the announcement did not include a legislative timeline or legislative vote counts. Several speakers urged prompt legislative consideration. Secretary Tepper and other administration officials named staff and agency colleagues who helped develop the proposal and described an extensive stakeholder engagement process involving more than 300 groups.

Remarks at the Braintree event also included public‑interest framing and safety reminders tied to the concurrent heat wave; officials urged residents to use cooling centers and care for vulnerable neighbors. No formal vote or final legislative action occurred at the announcement.

Additional context: Speakers noted statewide infrastructure inventories and vulnerabilities cited by EEA — for example, about 3,000 dams in the state with “over 200” described as in poor condition and roughly 25,000 culverts and small bridges, several of which are undersized for current storm patterns, per Tepper’s remarks. Officials said the bill pairs capital investments with regulatory and permitting streamlining to shorten project timelines and lower costs.

The announcement brought local elected officials, state agency leaders, municipal advocates, conservation groups, farmers and business and labor representatives to the stage. The administration characterized the Mass Ready Act as an implementation step to deliver projects that officials say will reduce long‑term damage and recovery costs and expand local options for financing resilience work.