Promoting climate change adaptation, environmental and natural resource protection, and investment in recreational assets and opportunity

What it means

An environmental bond bill. It authorizes borrowing of up to $1,543,500,000 for environmental programs, including $420,000,000 for state parks, forests and recreation sites, $165,000,000 for conservation and open space grants, $160,000,000 for state parkways and park roads, $105,000,000 for state-owned dams, land purchases, farm programs, and cleanup of hazardous waste. It adds up to $205,000,000 for climate change adaptation (including $100,000,000 for the state hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plan), $150,000,000 for parks in underserved neighborhoods, trails, tree planting and land protection, $60,333,000 for the Clean Water Trust, $55,000,000 for Complete Streets grants to cities and towns, and $178,500,000 in state bonds tied to $992,000,000 for federal-aid highway projects. Policy sections require a state climate adaptation plan every 5 years (the first by September 16, 2018), create a Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund and a revolving loan fund for town transfer-of-development-rights zoning, rewrite marine fisheries penalties (many set at $400 to $10,000), and change an estate tax rule for farm land.

Source: official text and history of S.2591 on malegislature.gov. This describes the bill text posted there; amendments may have changed the version that was voted on.