ResilientMass Plan Action Tracker

Work with investor-owned electric and gas utilities to review geotargeted solar paired with energy storage proposals developed pursuant to the 2021 Climate Act (St. 2021, c. 8, section 77) designed to assist a municipality, including those with environmental justice communities, at high risk from the effects of climate change. The proposals must be supported by the municipality and designed to improve climate adaptation and resiliency.

On September 12, 2022, the DPU directed the investor-owned electric distribution companies’ electric sector modernization plans that will be filed with the Grid Modernization Advisory Council in September 2023 and with the DPU in January 2024 consistent with the requirements of the 2022 Climate Act (St. 2022, c. 179). The electric sector modernization plans will include a five-year plan for preparing for future climate-driven impacts on the transmission and distribution systems, including proposed improvements to the electric distribution system to increase reliability and strengthen system resiliency to address potential weather-related and disaster-related risks. The DPU will review the plans when filed in January 2024 and issue a decision within seven months of the submission of the plan.

MEMA will hire a vendor to study other successful state buyout programs such as NJ, OH and districts in NC as well as Florida's Wind Mitigation Program to understand best practices, gaps and opportunities of improvement. The study will result in a set of recommendations that best suits Massachusetts government structure to help us identify properties and create a program that best supports coastal and riverine cities and towns making it easier for them to obtain funding. Acquisition/Buyout programs are one method of property acquisitions in which private lands are purchased, existing structures demolished, and the land maintained in an undeveloped state for public use in perpetuity. Acquisition of a property in a floodway is intended to reduce the risk of future flooding for the property and/or those adjacent. A voluntary property acquisition/buyout program can enable homeowners to leave high-risk areas. This can be an especially important option for EJ and other priority populations who may not have the financial means to move or to repair/rebuild after floods.

Massachusetts’ three snake species (Timber Rattlesnake, Copperhead, and Ratsnake) listed as Endangered are also the Commonwealth’s largest species, and are entirely confined to topographically complex and resilient mountain habitats. Large landscape requirements and slow life history (long lifespan, late maturity, etc.) make them exceptional umbrella species for a range of state-listed species and habitats because their status reflects the health of the habitat in which they are found. These three imperiled species are also increasingly affected by fungal and bacterial pathogens associated with more frequent wetter and warmer conditions that reduce species survival, resiliency and persistence.  As such, they are uniquely vulnerable to a changing climate. We propose a three-year partnership with UMass Amherst-USGS Coop Unit to develop a communications plan, study the pathogens, and manage habitats and populations to promote stability of native populations while minimizing human:snake encounters. This project will build partnerships with DCR, MassAudubon, UMass, and local communities. 

Advance the conservation and restoration of salt marshes, coordinating closely with partners (EEA, DEP, DER) and stakeholders, through the following activities: (1) Facilitation of Land Acquisition for Marsh Migration - CZM will utilize existing tools and data (SLAMM) to prioritize undeveloped areas that are modeled to be suitable for future salt marsh migration and pursue federal funding opportunities to support acquisition of priority parcels; (2) Advance understanding of beneficial reuse of sediments to restore and maintain salt marsh habitat - CZM will convene an expert stakeholder group to explore the science and practice of beneficial reuse of dredged sediments for salt marsh restoration. Opportunities for beneficial reuse that are environmentally sound, economically feasible, and permittable in Massachusetts will be the focus; (3) Implement new grant program to support monitoring and adaptive management of applied salt marsh restoration techniques - CZM will build capacity for salt marsh restoration through a targeted grant program to specifically support monitoring and adaptive management of novel restoration strategies to improve understanding of these techniques, ensure scientific rigor, and improve the ability to evaluate success. 

MassDEP is incorporating the evaluation and mitigation of potential climate change vulnerabilities at waste sites into the Massachusetts Contingency Plan, the regulations that govern the assessment and cleanup of oil and hazardous material disposal sites in the Commonwealth. Proposed amendments have been published for comment and finalization of the changes is expected to happen in 2023. The new rule will require consideration of reasonably foreseeable site conditions including potential impacts from climate change in evaluating a site and selecting resilient remedies.   

Support for habitat restoration including invasive species management, aquatic and terrestrial connectivity improvement, dam removal, and flood plain resilience and connectivity.

This action includes technical and/or administrative support related to the development of data and/or recommendations pertaining to how assessments of water bodies (e.g., rivers, impoudments, etc.) may be influenced by climate change.

Provide subject matter expertise, guidance, funding support where applicable, and direct support for development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) and on the ground Wildfire Risk Assessments for communities considered to be at an elevated risk for impacts from wildfire occurrence due to vegetative fuel types and conditions.

This action includes finalizing the Statewide Hydraulic Model that has been under development for numerous phases already. Work may include the incorporation of coastal crossings, the incorporation of future flows, the improvement of pluvial crossings, and/or education and outreach. 

This includes the development of data needed for policy, regulations, and/or guidance that assists with restoration, and/or climate resilience, if needed. This action also includes the collection of scientific data to inform policy, regulations, and guidance for implementation of any/ all carbon related goals and recommendations associated with the Clean Energy goals

This includes development of plan, implementation of monitoring and data analysis, and characterization of the condition of salt marsh over a long-term period.

Acquire the 375-acre Davison cranberry operation abutting Myles Standish State Forest and containing approximately 125 acres each of bogs/ponds, forest, and East Head Reservoir. Work with EEA, DER and federal agencies to secure funding for the restoration of the Davison bogs, as well as the 5-acre bog in Massassoit SP, to restore the headwaters of the Wankinko River, improve endangered species habitat and increase carbon sequestration. Part of this project will include the rebuilding of the East Head Dam to protect an endangered species population in the reservoir and reconstruct the surface road to ensure dam stability and improve first responder response time within the state forest.

Complete preliminary design studies for up to twenty eight high-priority dam removal projects, prioritizing high- and significant-hazard dams. This early-stage work will increase the Commonwealth's ability to support dam removal projects.

Develop a statewide Highway Division Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP) demonstrating a systemic approach to surface transportation system resilience. The RIP will be integrated into the statewide long range transportation plan. Additionally, it will help set the framework for and inform immediate and long-range planning activities and investments.

Advance strategies to help communities and partnering agencies identify and prioritize ecologically sensitive culvert replacement projects. This effort provides early phase planning services to prepare high value ecological projects for future implementation assistance. DER will build on criteria developed to score projects for its Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program with a particular focus on high value ecological projects and municipalities/regions that have historically had less culvert projects in partnership with DER. DER will work with landowners of potential sites which may include private landowners, municipalities and land-holding agencies such as DCR, MassWildlife and MassDOT.

This action would include a methodology to assess submittals as well as incorporate submittals into the Wetlands Program wetlands mapping data. A potential goal would be to have these public - facing. This action is integral in developing a baseline for carbon storage in wetlands data layer to obtain Clean Energy and Climate Plan (CECP) 2030 and 2050 goals. Current data uses estimates from the 2005 data layer.

The 2025/2030 Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan (CECP) tasks MassDEP with developing a Clean Heat Standard. MassDEP initiated a stakeholder process in 2023 and is developing proposed regulations. The Commission on Clean Heat endorsed the creation of a Clean Heat Standard in its final report. The standard will incentivize electrification of the building sector, which will reduce GHG emissions and improve comfort of residents during extreme heat. It will reduce risk of fossil fuel/oil spills by reducing transport and delivery accidents. Reducing GHG emissions from the building sector supports resilience.

Develop updated inland and coastal wetlands protection and restoration guidance and/or regulations that improve climate resilience such as (1) education on new coastal floodplain standards, and continued study of sea level rise (e.g., MC-FRM), support projects that promote salt marsh restoration, migration of salt marshes, dunes, and other coastal resource areas, and address other related challenges; and (2) protect and restore inland floodplains, including better alignment with FEMA requirements, continued consideration of future precipitation data for stormwater and floodplain boundaries (e.g., Cornell Staochastic Weather Generator), continued implementation of protection of wetland carbon strategy, and other strategies; and (3) regulations and permit streamlining to facilitate restoration, resilience and other related projects.   

This action would include technical and/or administrative support to develop a document similar to the Stream Crossing Standards for tidally-influenced road crossings.

Solid waste disposal capacity is becoming increasingly limited in Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast US. As a result, more than 1/3 of Massachusetts’ trash— about 2 million tons per year—is sent to landfills in other states for disposal. This waste is moved primarily by rail; even a brief rail outage could cause severe disruptions to solid waste collection and disposal. MassDEP would support the development of local infrastructure that advances the Commonwealth's Solid Waste Master Plan waste reduction goals, including: (1) increasing composting and anaerobic digestion facilities; (2) installing more in-state outlets for construction waste materials; (3) developing small-scale publicly-owned materials recovery facilities; (4) improving systems to better sort recyclables and organics from mixed wastes; and (5) encouraging facilities to collect and divert household hazardous wastes from the solid waste stream. MEMA is currently updating the Disaster Debris Plan.

Implement a division restructuring and expansion plan with the following goals: expand and improve DER's ecological restoration work; strengthen DER's internal capacity; expand external capacity; and learn and share knowledge about restoration outcomes and best practices. The expansion plan includes specific actions related to hazard mitigation and climate adaptation including:

•  promoting ecological restoration as an integral part of the Commonwealth's climate adaptation programs participating in emerging policy, program, and funding initiatives on the issue of climate adaptation and hazard mitigation.
• improving and documenting our understanding of how restoration practices relate to climate adaptation benefits.

 Launch a study to assess and map vulnerability of private wells and public water supply wells to stresses such as droughts and identify and protect recharge areas. This project will assess and map these contributing areas for use as a criteria in EEA and other agency land conservation programs.