Last week, IRWA staff and supporters once again took to Beacon Hill to be the voice of the Ipswich River in the halls of power. There we met with Representative Kassner and Representative Nguyen as well as staff from the offices of Senator Tarr, Representative Walsh, Representative Ferrante, and Representative Bowen to discuss the Drought Bill, Nature for All, and legislation codifying the Division of Ecological Restoration into law.
The Drought Bill has been IRWA’s top legislative priority for multiple legislative sessions. Right now, during drought, water users only need to conserve water if they have permitted water, or water that came online after the Water Management Act was passed in 1986. If your water came online before, or your water comes from a private well, you are not required to conserve water during a drought. The Drought Bill aims to modify water conservation policy during drought by making drought restrictions uniform across the board should the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs deem it necessary, regardless of when your water came online or where it comes from. With the Ipswich River’s top threat by far being overwithdrawals, especially during the summer, this legislation is critical.
IRWA also lobbied for the Nature for All legislation, which will reallocate a portion of the existing sporting goods sales tax to fund conservation and restoration projects. This would draw money from a pre-existing sales tax, so no new tax hikes, and is already being done in states such as Texas and Florida.
Finally, IRWA lobbied lawmakers to codify the Division of Ecological Restoration into law. This small but mighty division under the Department of Fish and Game does critical work in the field of dam removal, but is not codified into Massachusetts law, meaning that a future administration that did not value their work could dissolve their division entirely. This proposed legislation would codify the Division of Ecological Restoration permanently into law, ensuring that their work is around for generations to come.
Anytime we have the opportunity to get in front of our lawmakers and speak up for our river, we’re going to take it. We had a great time and some phenomenal conversations, and can’t wait to go back!
