ADVOCACY
Mass Rivers is proud to serve as the statewide advocacy organization for rivers and streams in the Commonwealth.
Learn more about the advocacy process and our priorities.
Zoom to find your legislator using our interactive map!
Map created by Caley Earls, Mass Rivers GIS Intern (updated 2023)
Advocacy Wins
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Won successful passage of a bill to require public notification of sewage spills to waterbodies in Massachusetts in 2021. Learn more >>
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Forced the EPA to implement stormwater management requirements across the state.
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Helped draft a 2014 state law to increase water infrastructure funding.
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Increased stream connectivity by increasing the number of stormwater utilities around the state. Our six day-long workshops trained 400 municipal staff and consultants on culvert replacements and stormwater utilities.
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Worked with state staff to significantly strengthen state’s drought response management plan, completed in 2019.
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Defeated several proposed bills that would have harmed rivers.
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Increased climate resiliency, aquatic ecosystem protection, and climate justice in several bills that have been enacted into law.
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Won multi-million dollar increases in both annual state funding and capital budgets for agencies that protect rivers, in FY19, FY20, FY21, FY22, FY23, FY24 and FY25.
Mass Rivers Top Legislative Priorities (2025-2026)
Read a debrief of how last session went for rivers >>
S586/H1003 An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management (Sponsored by Representative Joan Meschino, Representative David Rogers and Senator Jamie Eldridge)
Right now when a drought is declared, each municipality implements their own water conservation measures, leading to a confusing patchwork of policies that provides only limited water savings and relief to our waterways.
The Drought Bill provides a drought management solution that's scaled up to meet our new water needs, and lets our state be proactive in conserving water, rather than waiting for an emergency to hit. Increased conservation would provide relief to our rivers and groundwater, making them more resilient to the increased drought events that are expected in Massachusetts.
This bill would give the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force statutory authority and provide the Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs with the authority to require uniform water conservation across a drought region during severe droughts. This only would affect non-essential outdoor watering (that's mostly lawn watering!). Essential water use for agriculture, core business functions, and indoor use would be unaffected.
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Mass Rivers testifying before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on the drought bill alongside our partners, April 2023.
How are laws made in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, legislative sessions begin on January 1 and last two years. An average of 6,000-10,000 bills are filed every session. However, less than 10% are passed and become state law. Learn how bills are created and passed in the state legislature >>
How does Massachusetts create its state budget?
Massachusetts fiscal years run from July 1–June 30. Learn how the state budget is created and passed >>
Advocacy Toolkit
Maintaining consistent contact with your local, state and federal elected officials is key to ensuring that they keep your priorities at the top of their list. For additional information on ways you and/or your organization can improve your advocacy efforts, check out our toolkit >>
Where else is Mass Rivers speaking up for rivers?
Mass Rivers participates in state-run task forces, and coalitions with partner organizations. Learn more >>
Action Alert Sign Up
The Environmental and Climate Bond:
In 2025, the Healey administration is expected to release a new edition of the environmental bond to support a variety of statewide programs. Mass Rivers will be advocating for climate resilience, including for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. Learn more about that advocacy here >>
Nature for All Bill (H901/S597)
One of the most important ways to help our rivers and streams is to protect the land around them. As part of the Massachusetts Coalition for Nature, we support this bill that would dedicate funding from the existing tax on sales of sporting goods to be used for the conservation and restoration of land, water, and urban greenspace.
This funding source would help the state better meet the natural and working lands goals of conserving 30% of land by 2030 in the Clean Energy and Climate Plan.
We advocate for investments in our state environmental agencies each year, with a focus on rivers and water. This work has yielded significant results for two agencies that focus on water quality, streamflow protection, and habitat restoration - the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration (DER). These two agencies’ annual operating budgets have increased from $32 million to $54.3 million (MassDEP) and $2.1 million to $5.5 million (DER) since FY2020. Want to know how we do this and what the state environmental agencies are doing with increased budgets? Read our blog >>
Other Bills We Supported:
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An Act Providing for the Establishment of Sustainable Water Resource Funds (S1443/H2324)
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An Act Investing in Natural & Working Lands (H1005/S549)
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An Act Accelerating Wetland Restoration (H1052/S557)
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An Act Pertaining to Regional Resilience and Flood Protection Entities (S658/HD3411)
Mass Rivers Budget Success – FY25
Every year Mass Rivers advocates alongside our partners for investments in our environment. Increasing the line items below would ensure that the state agencies who steward our waterways and environment have sufficient funding each year.
Our goal is to get the state to spend 1% of the state budget on environmental agencies in the yearly budget (FY23 was at 0.83%, up from 0.73% in FY18).
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Admin (Line Item 2000-0100): FY25 $18M
($1.8 million increase over FY24)
EEA oversees many important environmental programs, and the agency has recently taken on more responsibility with the Roadmap to Net Zero law, the offshore wind and clean energy law, the implementation of the CECP, and ongoing administration of programs with increased demand like the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. We're advocating for increased funding for EEA so they can keep up with these new and expanded programs.
Department of Conservation and Recreation State Parks & Recreation (Line Item 2810-0100): FY25 $110M ($4.4 million increase over FY24)
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) stewards 450,000 acres of land that provide abundant recreational opportunities, enhance water quality, and contribute to a stable climate. Massachusetts' State Parks experienced a boom of attendance during the pandemic: the average increase in visitation was 99%, though some areas received as much as a 300% increase. They provide an invaluable environmental, educational, and recreational service to our communities.
Increased funding will address ongoing staffing and maintenance shortfalls, persistent underfunding of DCR programs, and implementation of the recommendations of the DCR Special Commission.
Department of Fish and Game (2300-0100): $2 million ($690K increase over FY24)
Funding to implement the Governor’s nation-leading Executive Order that directs DFG to create statewide biodiversity goals. This funding also supports stewardship on private and public land, and urban habitat programs in Gateway Cities and environmental justice communities.
Department of Environmental Protection Admin (2200-0100): $54 million ($2.3 million increase over FY24)
Massachusetts is experiencing increasing and intersecting threats to its water supply and vulnerable natural resources. This funding will also support hiring over 50 new DEP for critical work including PFAS testing and mitigation, inspection and compliance, and incorporating climate preparedness in permitting
In addition to these priorities, we defended the increases we've successfully advocated for in prior years by requesting level funding for:
Division of Ecological Restoration (2300-0101) FY25- $5.5M
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Environmental Justice (2000-0102): FY25- $8.8M
In 2024, we had success - legislators granted increases to many of our priority line items, resulting in a $14 million increase to important environmental programs!
We're grateful to the the legislature, and especially Ways & Means Chairs Aaron Michlewitz and Michael Rodrigues, for prioritizing the Commonwealth's environment in the state budget.