SENATE DOCKET, NO. 267        FILED ON: 1/12/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1473

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Providing Access to Renewable Energy Resources..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 17C of Chapter 58 of the Massachusetts General Laws 2004 Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting after the word "land" in the second sentence the following: -- ", and to assist cities, towns and the Forest and Wood Products Education and Development Center to improve the utilization of the commonwealth's forest resources through a matching grant program."

Section 2. Section 17C of Chapter 58 of the Massachusetts General Laws 2004 Official Edition is further amended by inserting after subsection (b) the following: -- (c) Twenty-five percent of all revenue received by the removal of forest products from state owned forest land shall be deposited in the Forest Products Trust Fund. Such funds collected on or after July 31, 2010 shall be disbursed through a matching grant program, administered by the State Forester, to improve the utilization of the commonwealth's forest resources by establishing more efficient transportation, processing and utilization of forest products, or to enable the utilization of renewable forest biomass as a fuel source.

Section 3. The rules and regulations authorized under section two of this act shall be promulgated by the State Forester prior to July 31, 2010.