Environmental issues prioritized in $4.8B of funds
Water safety is one of top concerns
The state Legislature heard a bevy of testimonies for how to best spend $4.8 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, and environmental concerns became a theme in the wake of one of the wettest summers on record.
“The funding provided by the American Rescue Plan provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address (sewage issues) head-on right now for what has been a long-standing, very urgent issue for the Merrimack Valley,” said Sec. of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides of chronic sewerage issues in the Merrimack River.
She said that over 200 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the river this year alone before rainfall from Hurricane Ida further strained the system, and 130 million gallons in the week after Ida hit Massachusetts.
She advocated for $400 million of ARPA funds to “modernize water and sewer infrastructure across the Commonwealth,” she said.
She argued that, given the heat waves, increasing instances of hurricanes, increased rainfall and rising water levels, among other environmental impacts, “we can’t just mitigate our way out of this, we have to adapt,” she said.
About 350,000 people get their drinking water from the Merrimack River, and it is also a popular fishing, boating and swimming destination. Another major sewage issue has been plaguing King’s Beach in Lynn, just over the border from Swampscott, which has been ranked one of the most polluted beaches in Massachusetts. One statistic referenced during multiple testimonies showed the beach was unsafe for swimming over 1 in 5 days per year.
“I can’t help but cringe when I see children playing in it,” said state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead. “Collectively, we need to do more than cringe.”
She argued for an infrastructure overhaul of the sewage systems that feed into the water.
Others argued that the situation is even more dire because King’s Beach is in Lynn, where many of those who use the beach don’t speak English as their first language, and may not be aware of the sewage issues.
“I have to wonder, would this be happening in other communities, in a non-gateway city community?” said state Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn. “Would we put up with this type of pollution?”
While testimony related to environmental issues took up the largest chunk of testimony and would be some of the most expensive projects on constituents’ wish lists, Gov. Charlie Baker has a wish list of his own.
Baker has been locked in a battle with legislators over the best use of the money — while Baker has pressured them to speed up the disbursement of $2.9 billion for “transformational work” like homeownership programs ($1 billion), downtown revitalization projects ($350 million) and workforce development ($240 million), the Legislature is dragging its feet, arguing that it wants to take a more measured approach.
Other proposals included investments in travel and tourism advertisements and grants, arts and culture, broadband and transportation infrastructure.