Bill
S 581
The bill updates UST fund board references to substitute API for the Massachusetts Petroleum Council and adds “or its successor” to two associations to preserve representation.
Note on source materials
- The bill number and preparatory header you provided include an unrelated short title (about increasing woodland acreage for agricultural assessment). The actual bill text supplied and analyzed below is titled “An Act relative to the Underground Storage Tank Petroleum Cleanup Fund Administrative Review Board” (Senate Docket No. 430 / Senate No. 581). This summary is based on the bill text you provided.
Purpose
- To update the organizational names and successor-language in Section 8 of Chapter 21J of the Massachusetts General Laws, which governs the Administrative Review Board for the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Petroleum Cleanup Fund. The intent is to ensure the statute references current or successor petroleum industry organizations for board representation or consultation.
Key provisions (exact statutory edits)
- Section 1: In Chapter 21J, §8, replace the words “Massachusetts Petroleum Council” with “American Petroleum Institute or its successor”.
- Section 2: After the words “New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, Inc.” insert the words “or its successor”.
- Section 3: After the words “New England Service Station and Automotive Repair Association” insert the words “or its successor”.
Who or what is affected
- The Administrative Review Board for the UST Petroleum Cleanup Fund: membership, stakeholder representation or statutory references to industry groups that interact with the board.
- Named industry associations and their successors:
- Replaces the specific reference to the Massachusetts Petroleum Council with the American Petroleum Institute (API) or any successor organization.
- Adds “or its successor” to two New England trade associations already named in the statute (convenience store/energy marketers and service station/automotive repair associations).
- Stakeholders in the UST cleanup program, including fuel retailers, convenience stores, service stations, environmental regulators, and parties who appear before or are affected by board decisions.
Practical effect and rationale
- Maintains continuity of stakeholder representation if an association changes name, merges, dissolves, or is replaced by a national body (API).
- Broadens or clarifies which entity may be recognized under statute (switching from a state-level council to a national institute plus successor provisions).
- Primarily an administrative/technical statutory update; no funding or programmatic changes to the Cleanup Fund itself are specified in the text.
Procedural status and timeline
- Introduced in the Senate: February 13, 2025.
- Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (and also noted referred to Environment and Natural Resources in the actions).
- Hearing scheduled: July 1, 2025, 1:00–5:00 PM in A-1 (per the docket).
- Prior related matter: Senate No. 504 (2023–2024) is noted as similar.
Considerations
- The substitution of a national organization (API) for a state council could change which entity has formal input or appointment rights under §8, which may affect local representation.
- Adding “or its successor” is a common drafting technique to ensure statutory references remain operative after organizational changes.
- No explicit fiscal impacts or regulatory changes to the Cleanup Fund or claims process are included in the text provided.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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