CRWA
ALERT!
(Updated on 06/09/03)
Massachusetts State Reorganization
MDC Parklands, State Forests,
Skating
Rinks, Pools, Campgrounds
Their future is in your hands!
Sustainable development, and fighting sprawl
The opportunity is here!
CRWA has spent many hours following the various
environmental reorganization proposals, working with the administration
and the legislature, and with other environmental organizations, to
understand the process and influence the outcome. Today, we are at
an exciting moment, when change for the better may actually happen.
Please click on a link below.
Take
Action Now - Week of June 9th!
Most Recent Events
Background Information
Through the budget process, the House and the Senate have each passed legislation to reorganize the environmental agencies that manage the environment. This week, the joint conference committee is meeting to determine which elements of their two different versions are preferred. This is a critical issue for our state’s environment, and especially for the parks in the Charles River watershed, the metropolitan area, and indeed, the whole state. If you care about the future of environmental management and our parks, you must TAKE ACTION NOW!
CRWA strongly urges you to make a call or fax a letter to the chairs of the conference committee and copy your state representative and senator to express your opinions about how the environmental agencies should be organized and run. Your opinion really does matter, and letters, faxes and calls do influence legislators, but you must act this week. Calling or sending a letter via mail or fax is the best method to ensure your voice is heard so please take an extra few minutes to do so.
In general, CRWA supports the Senate’s version of reorganization, along with several key elements of the House’s version. Read the next section below for a complete list of what issues CRWA supports. Click here to view a sample letter and click here for the contact information for conference committee chairpersons and the watershed senators and representatives. Please call these individuals or tailor the sample letter and fax or mail it today.
Please help us help the Charles River. Act now!
The process over the past six months has been amazing. The administration made one proposal, which was voted down by the legislature last week. The House and the Senate each passed their own versions, through their budget processes, quite different from each other. This week, the conference committee is meeting to determine which elements of their two different versions are preferred. This is a critical issue for our state’s environment, and especially for the parks in the Charles River watershed, the metropolitan area, and indeed, the whole state. At stake are:
v How Massachusetts will manage its unsustainable development, sprawl, and resource depletion;
v The future of the Metropolitan Park System (currently under the MDC); and
v Transparency, accountability and public participation in parkland management
We urge you to call or fax a letter to the chairs of the conference committee, letting them know you support:
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The creation of the Executive Office of Commonwealth Development, as adopted by the Senate on Senator Lees’ amendment, to promote sustainable development and coordinate the work of transportation, housing, energy and the environment;
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Reorganizing the state environmental agencies as in the Senate’s version of the budget, with the management of MDC parks merged with the state parks, and the metropolitan park system a named district within a Department of Conservation and Recreation;
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House provisions requiring the development of management plans with public review and input; and Senator Resor’s amendment, adopted by the Senate, for the development of conservation performance standards;
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Senate provisions, and Senator Nuciforo’s amendment, keeping custody and control of the MDC parkways with the new Department of Conservation and Recreation, not highways, and language limiting traffic on parkways to smaller vehicles;
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The creation of a stewardship council to the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Change is Coming For MA State
Government
Several proposals to reorganize state government have been considered by the legislature. This is an important issue for CRWA and the watershed, both
because these proposals aim to change management of the Metropolitan Park
System (currently under MDC), and because there is an opportunity to make
real progress on sustainable development.
The three main reorganization proposals came from the Governor, the
House, and the Senate. Click here to learn
more about their proposals.
Reorganization and the Environment
Environmental reorganization proposals have two key elements:
a reorganization at the parks agency level; and a broader cabinet level reorganization that
would bring together the offices of energy, housing, transportation and
the environment. The parks
agency reorganization is embedded in proposed cabinet level reorganization
plans. CRWA has been working with a number of other environmental advocacy
groups to build consensus and develop a sound position.
Virtually all of the groups we work with support reorganization at
the park agency level; most also support the goal of reorganizing at the
cabinet level.
CRWA's Stance
on Reorganization
CRWA supports reorganization at both levels.
We believe the time has come to finally address the longstanding
problems of lack of accountability and disjointed management at the MDC by
creating a stronger, more accountable, unified parks management agency
that will manage the current MDC system of parks, reservations,
playgrounds, rinks, pools and parkways. We also believe that we must attack sprawl and give our
communities the opportunity to develop sensibly and under sustainability.