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HD 607

An Act relative to solid waste disposal facilities in environmental justice communities

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Chynah Tyler

Mass DEP must set stricter rules: escalating fines and possible permit revocation for solid waste facilities in environmental justice communities that violate permit terms.

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Bill Summary · HD 607

Summary: An Act relative to solid waste disposal facilities in environmental justice communities (HD 607)

Purpose

  • To strengthen oversight and enforcement of solid waste disposal facilities located within environmental justice (EJ) communities in Massachusetts.
  • The bill directs the state Department to adopt stricter regulations governing permit violations by facilities in EJ communities, with enhanced penalties and the potential for permit revocation.

Key Provisions

  • Amendment to Law: Inserts a new paragraph after the seventeenth paragraph of Section 150A of Chapter 111 (as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition).
  • Regulatory Authority: The Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) must adopt regulations related to violations of the terms of a permit by facilities within EJ communities.
  • Penalties: Regulations must include substantial monetary fines that increase with each violation by a facility within EJ communities.
  • Permits: Regulations must provide for permit revocation for facilities within EJ communities that regularly violate the terms of their permit.

Scope and Affected Parties

  • Facilities Affected: Solid waste disposal facilities operating within environmental justice communities in Massachusetts.
  • Enforcing Agency: The Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) would implement and enforce the new penalties and revocation authorities through adopted regulations.
  • Community Impact: The bill targets stronger protections for EJ communities by ensuring harsher penalties for permit violations and the possibility of losing operating permits.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

  • Regulatory Process: The bill requires the department to develop and adopt new regulations; no specific timeline for when regulations must be issued is provided in the text excerpt.
  • Effective Date: The excerpt does not specify an effective date; passage would lead to regulatory development and potential implementation thereafter.
  • Legislative History: Similar measure previously filed in the 2023-2024 session (House No. 914). Current filing is House No. 607 by Rep. Chynah Tyler (Boston).

Potential Impacts and Considerations

  • Compliance Incentives: Heightened penalties and the risk of permit revocation may incentivize facilities to improve compliance with permit terms.
  • Community Protections: Aimed at reducing environmental and public health risks in EJ communities by increasing regulatory leverage over problematic facilities.
  • Regulatory Details Needed: The bill text notes "substantial" fines and increasing amounts but does not specify dollar figures, definitions of “environmental justice community,” or what constitutes “regularly” violating a permit. Final regulations will define these terms.
  • Implementation Questions: How standards are applied to existing facilities, how “regular violations” are determined, and the appeals process under the new regulations will be addressed in the regulatory framework.

What to Watch

  • The final enacted language and the Mass DEP regulatory rulemaking.
  • Any definitions added for “environmental justice community” and “regularly violate.”
  • Specific fine schedules and revocation thresholds once regulations are issued.

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

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