Prohibit Drilling Activity in Mass State Waters!

UPDATE, MARCH 7, 2022

S.514 was reported favorably by the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means.

As a refresher, this bill mimics laws passed around the coastal US, including in Maine and New Hampshire, which prohibit drilling activity in state waters and the infrastructure needed to transport outer continental shelf oil and gas across state waters to land, making any future oil and gas lease sales in federal waters off from Massachusetts waters even more costly and unattractive than they already are.

YOU CAN HELP!

1. Please email Chair Rodrigues and the Committee to ask them to move this bill favorably! 

2. Consider forwarding the email you send to the Committee to your State Senator, noting that in light of the Senate's exciting climate bill announcement, you'd really love for your Senator to help drive this bill forward! Find contact info for your senator, here.

3. Senator Tarr, who sits on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, spoke at our rally during the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's public meeting on the last 5 year plan, in 2018. Consider emailing Senator Tarr separately to thank him for his strong support of preventing offshore drilling off from the state waters of Massachusetts and asking him to help move S.514.

Stay tuned for next steps and give a shout to help out.

UPDATE, FEBRUARY 2, 2022

Senator Cyr's new 2021 bill, S.514, came to public hearing before ENRA on September 14, 2021. Our Northeast Regional Manager, Melissa Gates, developed testimony, and our Surfrider MA Chapter Chair, Brian Ferrazzani, spoke at the hearing.

On February 2, 2022, ENRA voted the bill favorably out of Committee!

HISTORIC UPDATES

In 2019 and 2020, we saw House Bill 2852 fail to pass meaningfully and Senate bill 448 not make it through process before the Legislature adjourned. 

But, we have good news! Senator Cyr has committed to reintroducing his bill in the new session that commenced on January 6, 2021. 

While we wait for the new bill to drop, you can join the Surfrider-led email listserv for your New England state-based coalition opposing offshore drilling by filling out this form: go.surfrider.org/NoNEdrilling.

Thank you!

HISTORIC ACCOUNT

A hearing on H.2852 was held on January 22, 2020, and the bill was reported out of the Telecommunications, Utility and Energy Committee on February 10, 2020, with a Study Order H.4405, relating to a host of fossil fuel and clean energy issues rather than any enforceable law relative to permitting and transportation of outer continental shelf oil and gas. This means the House bill is not going to move forward as we'd hoped.

However Senator Cyr's state anti-drilling bill S.448 is still moving! The bill came to public hearing on June 4, 2019. Our Northeast Regional Manager submitted written testimony and Surfrider MA volunteer offshore drilling opposition coordinator, Brian Ferrazzani, attended the hearing to testify in person.

The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture accepted testimony in writing to Committee staff (Yael.langer@masenate.gov; Jacqueline.Manning@mahouse.gov; Robert.Libin@mahouse.gov) right up until the Committee released its favorable report and sent the bill to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on August 15, 2019. 

We asked people to help when S.448 was still in play at the end of 2020:

Massachusetts residents! Please write to the Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rodrigues and your state senator and ask them to bring this bill forward favorably. Address your comments to Chairman Rodrigues and Distinguished Members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and check out our Beachapedia page for talking points or email FMI. 

Thanks + stay tuned for further updates and ways you can help!

++

For information on hearing and testimony rules see this link.