Reflections in Advocacy

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AUGUST 2026

Environmental Bond Bill: This legislation authorizes the Commonwealth to borrow billions of dollars to pay for climate resilience, clean water, and environmental protection. It also allows for policy updates to be attached to it. This bond bill only comes around every five years so it’s a big deal to get it right. 

GOOD things in the bill:

• $500M for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (ie investments in climate resilience). 

• Stronger drought management provisions

• Funding for Watertown Dam removal

• Funding to study dredging a silted-up area of the Charles in Watertown 

BAD thing in the bill:

• Weakens local wetlands protections

Next Steps: The House and Senate are negotiating the differences between their respective bills and will send a final bill to the Governor for her signature at some point in the next few months. We continue to advocate for the areas we agree with, and for removal of the wetland-weakening provision. 

Combined Sewer Overflows: A bill filed at our request by State Rep. Greg Schwartz calls for an end to combined sewer overflows across the state by 2050. The bill sits in the House Committee on Ways and Means, which is meaningful progress, especially for a first-time bill, but we will keep fighting until it gets approved by both chambers and the Governor. The Charles River and all our rivers should not be used as toilets!

We’ll be back in the fall and hope you’ll join us as we work to make the Charles River the cleanest, most resilient river in the Commonwealth!