Bill
SD 322
Creates the Blue Communities Program to fund and guide local actions reducing nutrient pollution and ocean acidification, offering grants and loans to eligible municipalities.
Purpose and intent
- Create a statewide program to incentivize local action aimed at reducing nutrient pollution and ocean acidification in the ocean, coastal waters, inland waters, and watersheds.
- Provide technical and financial assistance (grants and loans) to municipalities and other local governmental bodies that qualify as “blue communities.”
Key definitions added or amended (Section 1)
- Coastal waters: waters and submerged lands of the ocean between the coast and the commonwealth’s seaward boundary.
- Eutrophication: elevated nutrient concentrations in coastal or freshwater bodies.
- Nutrient dense: labeling for fertilizers/liquids with high nitrogen/phosphorus levels deemed excessive.
- Nutrient pollution: excess nutrients leading to eutrophication.
- Ocean acidification: decreasing ocean pH due to rising dissolved CO2.
- Watershed: land area drained by a defined river/stream system where surface water flows to a single outlet.
Program structure and eligibility (Section 12)
- The executive office shall establish the Blue Communities Program to fund, assist, and incentivize local efforts to reduce nutrient pollution and ocean acidification.
- Eligible entities: municipalities or other local governmental bodies that qualify as blue communities.
- Matching/partnership: the executive office may delegate program elements to departments (e.g., DEP, Division of Ecological Restoration, Division of Marine Fisheries, Office of Coastal Zone Management) and may integrate with existing programs (e.g., Green Communities Division, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant Program, Municipal Recycling programs).
- Required initiatives: to qualify, a blue community must adopt five of nine possible initiatives, including but not limited to:
1) Liquid hazardous waste program for safe disposal of certain liquids.
2) Groundwater protection regulation or impervious surface zoning to reduce runoff.
3) Rain barrel program to reduce runoff.
4) Shell collection system for returning carbonate shells to the ocean.
5) Regenerative ocean farming/restoration projects (shellfish/seaweed).
6) Water quality monitoring system (pH, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc.).
7) Plan to eliminate municipal sanitary sewer or combined sewer overflows.
8) Fertilizer bylaw/lawn program to limit fertilizer use and educate stakeholders.
9) Stormwater utility program to fund upgrades to stormwater infrastructure.
- Planning and reporting: each blue community must develop a plan prioritizing environmental justice communities and include specific metrics for each initiative; must report expenditures and results to the executive office and the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture every two years from approval.
Funding and administration (Sections 12(d)-(e))
- Blue Communities Fund: a dedicated fund to finance the program and related ocean acidification mitigation efforts; may be integrated with the Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund.
- Annual appropriations and revenue sources: offshore wind contributions; cap-and-invest programs; sales tax on fertilizers; other related revenue streams (fishing industry, environmental protection, mitigation, etc.).
- Administration and oversight: the executive office will adopt rules/regulations, establish applicant criteria, determine funding priority (higher funding for more initiatives), and set application procedures; responsible for annual reporting and program structure.
Procedural and timeline notes
- Legislative actions: Filed 1/10/2025 as Senate Docket No. 322; referred to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on 2/27/2025; House concurs noted on the same date.
- Biennial reporting requirement begins after an application is approved by the executive office.
Impact and scope
- Directly affects municipalities and local governments seeking funding and guidance to implement nutrient pollution and ocean acidification mitigation measures.
- Promotes integration with existing environmental and resilience programs and potentially expands funding streams for coastal and watershed protection efforts.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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