| 1 | 1 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2682 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | (2023-2024) |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | SENATE, March 11, 2024. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | The committee on Public Health, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | bill, Senate, No. 1382) of Patricia D. Jehlen, Vanna Howard, Sal N. DiDomenico, Rebecca L. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Rausch and other members of the General Court for legislation to improve outdoor and indoor |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | air quality for communities burdened by transportation pollution; and (accompanied by bill, |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | House, No. 2131) of Christine P. Barber, Mike Connolly and others for legislation to improve |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | outdoor and indoor air quality for communities burdened by pollution, report the accompanying |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | bill (Senate, No. 2682). |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | For the committee, |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | Julian Cyr 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | FILED ON: 2/7/2024 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2682 |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (2023-2024) |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | An Act to improve outdoor and indoor air quality for communities burdened by pollution.. |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | 1 SECTION 1. The department of environmental protection, in consultation with the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | 2executive office of energy and environmental affairs and bureau of environmental health, shall |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | 3convene a technical advisory committee that shall consist of not less than 9 individuals, at least 1 |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 4of whom shall represent residents of environmental justice populations, as determined by the |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 5Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, impacted by air pollution |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 6living adjacent to a major highway, at least 1 of whom shall represent academics with expertise |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 7in air monitoring, environmental health, air toxics and air pollution and at least 1 of whom shall |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 8represent organized labor. The committee shall: (i) identify communities with high cumulative |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 9exposure burdens for toxic air contaminants and criteria pollutants, including “ultrafine particles” |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 10as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency; (ii) identify the likely air pollution hotspots |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 11and corridors due to high concentrations of traffic-related air pollution throughout the |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 12commonwealth that should be equipped with new or expanded air monitors; and (iii) establish |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 13definitions for “air quality” and “air quality target pollutants” that shall include, but not be |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 14limited to, consideration of criteria pollutants, black carbon and ultrafine particulate matter. 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 15 Not later than June 30, 2025, the department of environmental protection shall install and |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 16operate air monitors in not less than 8 air pollution hotspots or corridors that measure at least 1 of |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 17each of the following pollutants: (i) black carbon; (ii) nitrogen oxides; and (iii) ultrafine |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 18particulate matter. Not later than December 31, 2026, the department of environmental |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 19protection shall establish baseline air quality in air pollution hotspots and corridors. Data from |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 20the air monitors shall be publicly accessible and provide near-time information. The department |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 21of environmental protection shall work with residents from environmental justice populations to |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 22conduct participatory action research where residents can use mobile air sensors to expand the |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 23number of locations where residents can track air quality. |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 24 The department shall convene the technical advisory committee by December 1, 2025. |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 25 The department of environmental protection shall file a report of the technical advisory |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 26committee’s findings, including the baseline air quality levels and recommendations to reduce air |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 27pollution in those identified locations by 50 per cent below the baseline by December 31, 2030, |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 28with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on public health |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 29and the joint committee on environment, energy and natural resources not later than June 30, |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 302026. |
|---|