HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1371        FILED ON: 2/4/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3325

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Steven S. Howitt

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act regulating the location of pipelines.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1371        FILED ON: 2/4/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3325

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2879 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act regulating the location of pipelines.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 164 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 75I.  Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary no new fossil fuel transmission pipelines shall be located in an area which is less than 1 mile in linear distance from a playground, licensed day-care center, school, church, area of critical environmental concern, as determined by the secretary of environmental affairs pursuant to 301 CMR 12.00, or an area occupied by residential housing. This linear distance shall be measured from any point along a fossil fuel transmission pipeline to the outermost point of the aforementioned zones; provided, however, that repairs or replacements that do not increase capacity in any such pipeline in operation prior to January 1, 2019, shall not be subject to this section.