Thanks to our community advocacy, the Drought Bill PASSED the Senate in June as part of a large Climate and Energy Bill. Unfortunately, it was not adopted in the House version of the same bill.
Now the two branches must reconcile their versions of the bill to make the final product that will be sent to the Governor's desk before the legislative session ends on July 31.
We need your help to ensure that the conference committee RETAINS drought management as part of the final bill they'll send to the Governor.
📣 Send an email to the conference committee letting them know that you want climate adaptation & preparedness to be a part of this year's Climate Bill!
If you live in the conference committee members districts, we especially need your voice. Email your legislator today!
If you're not from one of these towns - we still need you! Email the Chairs (or email all six to be our Advocacy Hero!)
Click on their email addresses below and copy and paste the sample email:
Dear ________,
Thank you for your leadership in crafting strong climate legislation for the Commonwealth. I am excited to see climate adaptation compliment mitigation in the Senate bill, particularly Section 5 regarding drought management. I ask that you defend this section in conference, so that it remains part of the final bill sent to the Governor.
Massachusetts faces increasing climate challenges, including more frequent and severe droughts that impact our state's rivers, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and drinking water supplies. This bill is a small yet crucial step toward creating a proactive, coordinated, statewide drought response that safeguards our environment, public health, and the sustainability of our water supplies.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
[Your Name]
Senator Mike Barrett (Chair)
Waltham, Weston, Lincoln, Concord, Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford
Senator Cynthia Creem
Brookline, Newton, Wellesley
Senator Bruce Tarr
Gloucester, Newburyport, Boxford, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton, Newbury, North Andover, Rockport, Rowley, Salisbury, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury, North Reading
Representative Jeff Roy (Chair)
Franklin, Medway
Representative Rich Haggerty
Woburn
Representative Bradley Jones
Lynnfield, Middleton, North Reading, Reading
Advocacy is a team sport - thank you so much for your help! We're in the home stretch!
Contact Policy Director Katharine Lange with any questions.
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