The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
wants an extra 20 million gallons of water a day out of the Quabbin, but Western Mass is pushing back. Opponents say, approving a huge water drop before naming which eastern Mass. towns get it violates state law and hands over a blank check. To make matters trickier, critics point to a clear conflict of interest. State Energy Secretary Rebecca Tepper heads the MWRA board, while her own staffer chairs the commission vetting the request.
Reporter Ella Adams of the State House News Service, explains that with public comments wrapping up this Wednesday, state officials are not making any moves to fix this regulatory overlap.
Ella Adams, SHNS: The Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, when asked about the structure of leadership, pointed to the fact that the Legislature established the Secretary's role with both bodies. And it also said that Tepper doesn't act independently on behalf of either body.
And as one lawmaker pointed out, there are other state agencies where roles are given to the secretary and then delegated to other members of their staff. But there are a couple of lawmakers who also thought that maybe it was a cause for potential concern.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: Is Secretary Tepper facing direct pressure from western Mass leaders to step aside?
No. But I did talk to Rep. Aaron Saunders [7th Hampden District], who suggested that the structure of both entities needs to be looked at.
And Senator Jake Oliveira of Ludlow also noted that he thinks this whole situation is a chance for the commission to show its independence, and that it's not set up to just be a rubber stamp, is what he called it.
With regard to the water request, both lawmakers talked to me also about just how strongly the community feels about that.
Turning to Beacon Hill, House leaders just steered a massive $2.35 billion spending bill through, on their own terms. It keeps some of Governor Healey's priorities, but lawmakers completely scrapped her signature gas tax relief plan, even though voters overwhelmingly supported it in recent polling. So, what made House leaders so comfortable tossing out the governor's tax relief right before an election? And who really holds the leverage on Beacon Hill right now?
Carrie, that's a great question.
House Speaker Ron Mariano [3rd Norfolk District] told reporters that he sees the gas tax proposal as an effective campaign thing. He called it a simple solution to a difficult problem.
House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz [3rd Suffolk District] said he doesn't think there are mechanisms in the proposal to make sure drivers actually see the benefits of a gas tax suspension. And Michlewitz added that the state needs that money that would go towards the suspension for transportation infrastructure.
Governor Maura Healey has also said that she's going to keep pushing lawmakers to support it, though. So, we'll see where it goes from there.
Finally, Ella, Amazon wants to launch drone deliveries out of Westborough. That's about an hour east of Springfield down the Mass Pike. But local residents and lawmakers are fighting back. Sixteen state lawmakers want Governor Healey to freeze commercial drone applications, while Westborough voters have just passed a ground safety bylaw to protect privacy, leaving the FAA to handle the skies. So, with a key local zoning hearing set for November 2nd and the Governor reviewing calls for a moratorium, what power do towns actually have to block these flights if the feds give Amazon the green light?
Yeah. So, this is part of the situation that I talked to Senator Michael Moore [2nd Worcester District] about. He's one of the 16 lawmakers who sent the letter. He said that this situation kind of exemplifies, he called it ‘the jurisdictional balance that takes place between federal, state and local government’. He said this is an instance where federal preemption can sacrifice local communities, since the state doesn't have jurisdictional responsibility here. So that is a great question.
But the fact that there are no clear answers right now hasn't stopped local lawmakers from weighing in on who controls the skies. Right?
Yeah. And so, Senator John Velis [of Westfield], who is the Senate chair of the Legislature's Aviation Caucus, said last Friday that he's demanding clear answers and robust state oversight. And he talked about how emerging tech like drone delivery could have new opportunities. But the innovation shouldn't come at the expense of public safety.
He pointed to community concerns that lawmakers like him have been hearing, and he talked about how drones are a concern, he said, worldwide and pointed to even in his district [Hampden and Hampshire District] drones have been reported in the airspace around Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. He said even though the FAA currently oversees drone operations, the states need to take action to ensure public safety.
