Skip to Content
April 16, 2026 Clouds | 68°F
The 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Bill S.2351 194th (Current)

An Act exempting certain public transit and active transportation projects from MEPA review

By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2351) of Cynthia Stone Creem for legislation to exempt certain public transit and active transportation projects from MEPA review. Transportation.

View Text Print Preview Download PDF

Bill Information

Presenter:
Cynthia Stone Creem
The bill identifies a narrow subset of projects—clean transportation projects in existing rights of way—that promise significant climate, environmental, and public health benefits and pose relatively little risk of environmental harm. Given that balance of interests, the bill exempts these projects from state environmental review so that they can be designed and built more quickly and more affordably. Inspired by a law in California, the bill would exempt from state environmental review all public transit, bike, and pedestrian projects within existing rights of way, including abandoned rights of way. It would also exempt from MEPA review all infrastructure projects related to maintaining or charging zero-emission public transit vehicles, if those projects are located on public property or in existing rights of way. The bill would not exempt projects that establish a new right of way and which might therefore pose greater risk to the environment. Those projects would still have to go through the environmental review process.
* The bill summary was created by the Primary Sponsor of the bill; no committee of the General Court certifies the accuracy of its contents.

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.