Governor Baker Talks Environmental Bond Bill During this Years “One Cape Summit”

CAPE COD- Water quality and coastal resiliency were two big topics that got a lot of attention at this week’s One Cape Summit in Harwich.

Sponsored by the Cape Cod Commission, the yearly event focuses on big issues facing the region with speeches and presentations.

Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito headlined the afternoon session on Thursday – honing in on the water issue.

“There are 78 coastal communities in Massachusetts. Most of them are small towns, and… for [most of] them, the waterfront is their greatest economic asset, [and] in many cases [it also acts as] their biggest economic challenge,” says Gov. Baker.

He also added that it was important for the state to listen to what officials in the local communities needed when it comes to water-related issues.

The governor said they would continue to work on coastal resiliency for the state, especially in light of the increasingly severe storms impacting the region.

He spoke about a $2.4 billion environmental bond bill that will be tapped for projects across the coastal towns.

“It was $1 billion when we filed it, the Legislature perfected it by making it a 2.4 million dollar bond bill. In it is hundreds of millions of dollars in authorizations to do the kind of work that the municipal venerability planning is all about,” Baker added.

The session also included a discussion about how to clean up coastal harbors and embayments.

“Our money is there to support the venerability planning, our money is there to support the hazard mitigation work, and we have a bond bill with a lot of resources attached to it, and capital planning… to actually do a lot of the work… to fix many of these issues,” says Baker.

The governor also addressed legislation he recently rejected that would have imposed a tax on short term rentals that would fund water cleanup on Cape Cod.

Baker said he supported the concept, but wanted some tweaks made to the legislation.

This year’s summit also covered the topics of infrastructure planning, community design, and economic development.

Both days featured plenary sessions, focused breakout discussions, and interactive, web-based tools for local and regional planning.

The forum was designed to provide an opportunity for local elected leaders, municipal staff, board members, industry practitioners and community activists to discuss regional issues related to the unique environment and economy.

 

By, MATT PITTA & JOHN BONDAREK- CapeCod.Com News Center

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