Positive Movement on Massachusetts State Environmental Bond Bill

The Coalition for the Environmental Bond announced in an email alert earlier in the week that the Massachusetts state legislature's “Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets released the Environmental Bond Bill today [June 12, 2008]. ... This is an important and positive step forward but is only one of several steps the bill needs to take before it reaches the Governor’s desk for his signature ... The next step the Environmental Bond takes is down the hall to the Ways and Means Committees (House and Senate) and approval by both branches. ... The end of the legislative session is July 31 – a few short weeks away. Speedy passage by the committees is imperative if we are going to see the Bond pass and not lose an entire season of work. ..."

Supporters of the $750 million state Environmental Bond Bill include:

•  Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Brewster Conservation Trust, Dennis Conservation Trust, Nantucket Land Council, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, Sconset Trust, Tuckernuck Land Trust, Wellfleet Conservation Trust, Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, The Trustees of Reservations, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land

•  Coalition for Buzzards Bay, Friends of Pleasant Bay, Three Bays Preservation

•  Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod, Mass Audubon

•  Chatham Conservation Commission, Edgartown Conservation Commission, Falmouth Conservation Commission, Sandwich Conservation Commission