Rep. Stanley supports bill to protect MA’s natural resources

In a letter to the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Resources and Agriculture, Rep. Stanley urged favorable action on the Public Lands Preservation Act (PLPA), legislation he cosponsored to provide additional protections to Article 97 lands which help the Commonwealth reduce carbon emissions and diminish the impacts of climate change.

The bill seeks to clarify and standardizes the process used to evaluate proposals for the Commonwealth and/or municipalities to take parcels out of conservation protected status in order for them to be used for other purposes, either public or private. Under this legislation, municipalities and state agencies would be required to provide replacement land of comparable acreage, location, and natural resource value (no net loss) and to notify the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs with information that would allow the Secretary to assess the need for the disposition or change in use, the availability of feasible alternatives, and suitability of the replacement land being provided.