 
THE MA ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
Update: The MA Endangered Species Act stands! 
Environmental groups including CRWA fought hard against H4360 An Act Relative to Land Takings Regulations, to ensure protection for special concern species. As a result, the House Ways and Means Committee drafted a new version of the bill, which increases public notification, requires landowner permission for regulatory use of new records, and establishes a public comment period to conservation and management permits.
Thank you for calling your state legislators!
Protect the MA Endangered Species Act
Tell your legislator to VOTE NO on Senate Bill 1854!
June 26, 2012
The Legislature is seriously considering revisions to the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) which would result in an effective repeal of rare species protections. The Joint Committee on Environment has approved Senate Bill 1854, An Act relative to land takings (filed by Senator Gale Candaras) on June 14 and sent the bill to the House of Representatives.
The redraft of SB1854 will:
- Effectively dismantle the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) framework administered by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program for protecting imperiled species of plants and animals.
- Remove a screening tool and process that allows for new projects to proceed in most cases and replace it with regulatory uncertainty.
- Up-end established statutory, administrative, and case law by allowing project proponents to appeal to court at any time during the regulatory review process, rather than allowing the agency to finish its administrative review first.
This unfunded agency mandate would create an unworkable system leaving endangered species unprotected.
TAKE ACTION!
Contact your State Legislator and tell them to VOTE NO on SB1854 today!
Please contact your state representative and senator - by phone, email or mail – today. Ask them to protect MA's endangered species and oppose SB1854, An Act relative to land takings, and ask them to communicate their position to leadership.
Current Legislative Leadership:
HOUSE:
Robert A. DeLeo, Speaker of the House
Brian S. Dempsey, House Ways and Means Chair
SENATE:
Therese Murray, President of the Senate
Stephen M. Brewer, Senate Ways and Means Chair
Want the inside story on the proponents of the bill? Read the 2009 article in the Valley Advocate about the main sponsor of this bill and the recent Springfield Republican article.
Thank you for stepping up to protect endangered species!
Page updated August 1, 2012 |
YOUR WATERSHED 
