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Public Input Period Extended to February 28 for Designated Port Area Section of the Mass Leads Act</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">On November 20, 2024, the Mass Leads Act (Ch. 238 of the Acts of 2024) was signed into law by Governor Maura Healey. The law directs the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), in consultation
with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), to “complete a review of existing Designated Port Area (DPA) criteria and use restrictions and update relevant regulations based on the results of the review.” </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;"> </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">Through February 28, MassDEP and CZM are accepting public input concerning the following criteria listed in Section 295 of the Act:</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;"> </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">the protection of traditional maritime industrial activities; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">B.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">the addition of allowable uses consistent with future maritime industrial uses and clean energy activities; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">C.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">the reevaluation of compatible uses within designated port areas; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">D.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">a requirement, to the extent feasible, that all traditional and new allowed uses be resilient to coastal flood damage; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">E.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">examining the feasibility of creating working port easements to purchase development rights from landowners in designated port areas; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">F.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">opportunities to create grants and revolving loan funds to update port infrastructure, including conversion from 1 designated port area use to another designated port area use;</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">G.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">consideration of coastal flood resilience for inland neighborhoods; and </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">H.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">an assessment of new and adjacent areas that could be added to designated port areas to reduce net loss of acreage; </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;"> </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;">For additional information and instructions for providing input, see the
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; color: blue;"><u><a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/listening-sessions-mass-leads-act-dpa/download" id="OWA287b8afe-abf2-f1bd-d54d-2f9220af7b72" class="OWAAutoLink" style="color: blue; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" originalsrc="https://www.mass.gov/doc/listening-sessions-mass-leads-act-dpa/download" data-auth="VerificationFailed">MassDEP
notice</a></u></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;"> (PDF, 1 MB).</span></p>
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