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H 931

An Act establishing the Blue Communities Program

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Mindy Domb and 3 co-sponsors

Creates a Blue Communities Program to fund and guide local actions reducing nutrient pollution and ocean acidification through grant-funded, EJ-focused municipal initiatives.

Reporting date extended to Wednesday, December 31, 2025
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Bill Summary · H 931

Summary: H 931 — An Act Establishing the Blue Communities Program

Overview

  • Title: An Act establishing the Blue Communities Program
  • Bill Number: H 931
  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Status: Reporting date extended to Wednesday, December 31, 2025
  • Sponsor: Representatives Mindy Domb (Amherst) and Thomas W. Moakley (Falmouth)
  • Committee: Environment and Natural Resources
  • Related bill: HD 1798 (replaces)

This bill would create a statewide “Blue Communities” program within the Executive Office to incentivize and finance local action to reduce nutrient pollution and ocean acidification in the Commonwealth’s marine and freshwater systems and their watersheds.

What the bill does (Key provisions)

1) Expanded definitions for environmental context (Chapter 21N)

  • Adds definitions to support program design and measurement, including:
    • Coastal waters
    • Eutrophication
    • Nutrient dense
    • Nutrient pollution
    • Ocean acidification
    • Watershed
    • Adds coastal/ocean-focused context alongside existing environmental definitions such as “carbon dioxide equivalent” and “nature-based solutions.”

2) Creation of the Blue Communities Program (Section 12)

  • Purpose: Incentivize local government action to reduce nutrient pollution and ocean acidification across oceans, coastal/fresh waters, and watersheds.
  • Funding and assistance: The Executive Office provides technical and financial assistance (grants and loans) to qualifying municipalities and local bodies.
  • Delegation and integration: The program may be administered by multiple state departments (e.g., DEP, Division of Ecological Restoration, Division of Marine Fisheries, Office of Coastal Zone Management) and integrated with existing programs (e.g., Green Communities, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness, Municipal Recycling).
  • Eligibility: Municipalities must apply and adopt at least five of nine listed initiatives; must develop a Blue Community Plan focusing on environmental justice (EJ) prioritization and explicit metrics.
  • Accountability: Communities must report expenditures and results to the Executive Office and the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture biennially from the date of approval.

3) The nine initiatives to qualify as a Blue Community

A municipality must adopt five of the following:
1. Liquid hazardous waste program for safe disposal of detergents/other nutrient-dense liquids.
2. Groundwater protection regulation or impervious surface zoning to reduce runoff.
3. Rain barrel program to collect rainwater and reduce runoff.
4. Shell collection system for local businesses to return carbonate shells to the ocean.
5. Shellfish or seaweed regenerative farming or restoration project approved by the Executive Office.
6. Water quality monitoring system (pH, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc.).
7. Plan to eliminate municipal sanitary sewer or combined sewer overflows.
8. Fertilizer bylaw and lawn program to limit fertilizer use and educate the public.
9. Stormwater utility program to fund stormwater infrastructure upgrades.

4) Blue Communities Fund and financing

  • Establishes the Blue Communities Fund to finance the program and related ocean acidification mitigation initiatives.
  • Potential integration with the Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund (Act 2018, Chapter 209, Sec. 3).
  • Funding sources may include offshore wind contributions, cap-and-invest programs, fertilizer tax revenue, and other related environmental and fishing industry revenues.

5) Administration and oversight

  • The Executive Office administers the program, setting rules, guidelines, eligibility, funding priorities, and application procedures.
  • The bill envisions a structured intake for communities to receive funding and participate in the program.

Who is affected

  • Municipalities and other local governmental bodies can qualify as Blue Communities and receive grants/loans.
  • State agencies (DEP, Division of Ecological Restoration, Division of Marine Fisheries, Office of Coastal Zone Management) may administer or co-administer certain program elements.
  • The program emphasizes environmental justice in selecting priority implementation areas.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Hearing: Scheduled for June 3, 2025 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM) in committee.
  • Reporting date: Extended to December 31, 2025.
  • Referred to the Environment and Natural Resources committee on February 27, 2025.
  • Senate concurrence status appears in legislative actions; HD 1798 is noted as a related/replace bill.

Potential impact

  • Encourages local action to reduce nutrient loading and ocean acidification, with measurable reporting every two years.
  • Creates a dedicated funding stream for blue community projects and potential linkage to broader climate/ocean health funding.
  • May require municipalities to adopt specific regulatory or programmatic measures (e.g., fertilizer controls, stormwater utilities) to qualify, influencing local governance and budgeting.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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