Natural Resources: Environmental Quality

The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) was enacted in 1972 with the backing of the League and a coalition of citizens' groups. The legislation requires all state agencies to prepare and disseminate written reports to demonstrate that all practical means are being taken to minimize damage to the environment when state projects are being undertaken. The secretary of environmental affairs is charged with review of these reports.

The act also establishes an Office of Environmental Protection in the attorney general's office and gives the attorney general the authority to act on cases without waiting for referral from departments or agencies. Ch. 50 of the Acts of 1974 established a special commission on environmental impact laws. This commission, which included a League representative, was charged with investigating the costs and benefits of MEPA.

Incidence of Cancer Registry

In the 1979 legislative session, the League supported a bill to establish a registry in the state Department of Public Health that would collect data on the incidence of cancer in Massachusetts. The registry would provide base-line environmental information necessary to direct programs of research and prevention. Although the bill passed the 1979 legislature and was vetoed by the governor, it was refiled the following year and enacted into law in 1980.