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BEACON HILL BEAT
MARCH 2005

REP. MARIANO NAMED CHAIR OF MWRA LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS

Representative Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) has been named the new Chair of the MWRA Legislative Caucus. Mariano, who previously served as Vice-Chair of the Caucus, replaces Representative Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) who has been appointed the new Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. Mariano and DeLeo were the original founders of the Caucus which was established in 1991, the year when ratepayers were very vocal objecting to the increased rate costs. The Caucus consists of the elected officials on Beacon Hill who represent communities within the MWRA district.

One of the main priorities of the MWRA Caucus will be advocating for funding the Commonwealth Water and Sewer Rate Relief program in the state budget. This important line-item helps offset water and sewer rates for the residents throughout the Commonwealth. Appropriately treating and disposing wastewater is of critical importance, not only for the health of the citizens of the Commonwealth, but also to preserve the environment. Only a few years ago, this program was funded at $55 million. Due to the need to close the state budget gaps, this program was reduced to $10 million in the finalized Fiscal Year 2005 state budget. UCANE encourages the MWRA Caucus to advocate for increased funds for the Rate Relief program in both the House and Senate’s state budget proposals.

Representative Mariano has served in the House for 14-years and represents the communities of Quincy, Weymouth, and Holbrook. Mariano also serves as Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services.

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DEP RELEASES FINALIZED CY 2005 CLEAN WATER AND
DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUNDING LISTS

On March 14th, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Division of Municipal Services, released the Finalize Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) Intended Use Plans (IUP) for calendar year 2005. The IUP lists those projects determined to be the most significant in terms of public and environmental health.

The Clean Water SRF IUP lists sixteen new planning projects, forty-two new construction projects plus six carry-over or statutory projects from the previous IUP. The total financing for this IUP is $364,603,605. The total one-year funding needs for Clean Water SRF program is over $1.1 billion.

The finalized Drinking Water SRF IUP lists twenty-two new construction projects plus six carry-over projects from the previous IUP. The total financing for this IUP is $154,706,155 with a total one-year funding need of over $519 million.

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GOVERNOR ROMNEY PROPOSES $31 BILLION STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

On March 10th, Governor Mitt Romney released a statewide transportation blueprint that will invest nearly $31 billion over the next twenty years in the state’s roads, bridges and transit network. The plan, which does not require legislative approval but requires legislative input on how state funds are utilized, is the most comprehensive state-wide transportation plan proposed in over 30 years. The Governor is counting on $16 million to come from federal funding. Recently, the United States House passed a $284 billion transportation bill that included $3.7 billion for Massachusetts over the next six years. Romney stated, “In the post Big-Dig world, we need to focus on getting transportation dollars to every corner of the Commonwealth from Pittsfield to Provincetown.”

Among the top priorities of the transportation plan is a commitment to spend $1.2 billion over the next five years to repair over six hundred bridges throughout the state, $670 million for a commuter rail connecting Boston to New Bedford and Fall River, $12 million to address the state’s most dangerous and congested intersections including the merging of Interstate 95 and Route 128, Interstate 93 and Route 128, along with widening the two-lane highway on Route 2 in the western part of Massachusetts. The Governor also committed funding to the MBTA to help expand the rail and transit system which includes $756 million for the third phase of the Silver Line bus service and $314 million to expand the Blue Line to Lynn.

The entire 403-page report can be accessed on the internet at www.mass.gov/eot

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GOVERNOR ROMNEY FILES LEGISLATION TO STIMULATE CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN MA

In early March, Governor Romney filed a comprehensive economic stimulus package. The legislation includes the Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion (M.O.R.E.) Jobs Program which provides incentive to attract new companies to move to Massachusetts. The M.O.R.E. program hopes to attract 20,000 new jobs to the state over the next five years. The economic stimulus plan includes the $185 million Job Incentive Fund which provides incentive payments of up to $10,000 per new job to certain companies that add at least 100 new jobs over a two year period; $200 million for the Jobs Capital Fund which assists companies, that create a least 100 new jobs, by providing up to $20,000, per job created, for infrastructure improvements (which include sewer lines, access roads, traffic signals, and curb cuts); and $100 million for the Jobs Partnership Fund which provides financial assistance to companies that form a research contract between a private sector firm in a growing industry and any Massachusetts industry. Romney also addressed the slow permitting process and created the Jobs Expressway Package which reforms state and local permitting rules to give businesses greater clarity and predictability in the permitting process.

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~ ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL ~

SENATORS ADVOCATE FOR INCREASED SRF FUNDING

UCANE applauds the leadership of Massachusetts Senators Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and the forty other Senators from across the nation for advocating for increased funding for the State Revolving Loan Fund Program (SRF) and the need for modernizing the nation’s water infrastructure. The Senators call for funding the Clean Water SRF program to at least $1.35 billion (the amount that was approved in 2004). Last year the program, in what was called a one time cut, was reduced to $1.1 billion, and President Bush in his FY 2006 budget reduced the program even further to $730 million. In 2002 the EPA released the Clean Water and Drinking Water Gap Analysis which indicated that there will be a $535 billion gap between current spending and projects needs for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure work by 2019 if more funds are not approved.

Based on the Clean Water SRF cuts as proposed in President Bush’s FY 2006 budget the Northeast-Midwest Institute estimates that Massachusetts would lose over $12 million in SRF funds compared to the $1.1 billion allocated in FY 2005 and over $20 million compared to the $1.35 billion allocated in the FY 2004 federal budget. Because Massachusetts leverages the funds at a 3 to 1 ratio, these reductions are even higher.

Massachusetts – Federal Clean Water SRF Funds

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HOUSE APPROVES $284 BILLION FOR TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

On March 10th, the House voted 419 to 9 to approve $284 billion over a six-year period for transportation and infrastructure projects throughout the nation. The federal funding translates into roughly $3.7 million for Massachusetts. Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Congressman Don Young (R-AK) stated, “Compared to the previous six-year bill, H.R. 3 represents a 42% increase in investment in highway transit and safety programs. And the increased funding levels in H.R. 3 are supported by the Administration.” Chairman Young went on to say that this bill, “will put Americans to work by creating the kind of jobs that support families and increase our tax base. It is much needed legislation that will move our country toward a stronger economy.” House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also applauded the merits of the legislation and pointed out the economic benefits that it will provide. “It’s estimated for every $1 billion we spend on road construction, nearly 48,000 jobs are created. But it’s more than just jobs. We need an adequate infrastructure to move people and the materials they make efficiently.” The funding now awaits approval by the Senate and the President.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS GIVES THE NATIONS’ INFRASTRUCTURE GRADE OF D+

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released their 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure with updated grades on the condition of our roads, bridges, drinking water, transit systems, energy and schools, among others. To determine the grades, ASCE evaluated existing data reports of the condition, performance, capacity and funding relative to actions by policy makers for each category. In 2001, ASCE gave the infrastructure an overall grade of D+ and maintained that the nation needed to invest $1.6 trillion over five years to improve the situation.

The report found that Massachusetts’ drinking water infrastructure needs an investment of over $5.88 billion over the next 20 years, and the state’s Drinking Water Infrastructure needs total $4.68 billion. The report also references the antiquated sewer system in Lowell, MA and references an article from the October 24, 2004 edition of The Lowell Sun Newspaper. “In Lowell's sewer system, parts of which date back more than 100 years, sewage and drainage water flow through the same pipes, overburdening the Duck Island sewage-treatment plant during heavy rains. Lowell dumps about 360 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Merrimack River every year. An order by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has emissions cut to zero. The federal government has not devoted any funding to solve the problem, known as a combined sewer overflow.

ASCE’s report can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/index.cfm

~ Archived News ~

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