The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
——————
PETITION OF:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
——————
PETITION OF:
——————
In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.
——————
|
An Act authorizing the department of telecommunications and energy to establish a special commission for the purpose of investigating the health effects of electric and magnetic fields. |
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION
1. The Department of Telecommunications and Energy (D.T.E.) is hereby
authorized to establish a special commission for the purpose of investigation
the health effects, if any, of power frequency electric and magnetic fields,
hereafter referred to as EMF. Said commission shall examine existing data and
recommend further research to determine if any action should be taken to
protect the public from possible hazards stemming from exposure to all sources
of EMF, including, but not limited to transmission lines, distribution lines,
household appliances, and electric blankets.
Said commission shall be composed of the commissioner of the department of
public health or his/her designee and eight other members; two of whom shall be
appointed by the Governor, to include a representative of a public interest
group or organization with knowledge of EMF, as well as a utility industry
professional; three of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President, to
include individuals experienced in epidemiology, an individual experienced in
bio-statistics, and an individual experienced in electrical transmission
engineering; and three of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House,
to include a medical professional experienced in EMF, an individual experienced
in the physics of EMF, and an academic with knowledge of EMF. The commission
shall report its conclusions to the Joint Committee on Energy, the House and
Senate Committees on Science and Technology, the Department of Public Health,
and the D.T.E.
SECTION 2. The
Department of Telecommunications and Energy is hereby authorized to make
assessments proportionately against each electric company under its
jurisdiction based upon the intrastate operating revenues of such companies
derived from their wholesale and retail sales within the commonwealth, as shown
in their annual reports to the Department of Telecommunications and Energy.
This assessment shall be made at such a rate shall be determined and certified
by the Department of Telecommunications and Energy as sufficient to produce not
more than one million dollars in revenue for the purposes of this act and shall
be collected in a manner consistent with section seventeen of chapter
twenty-five of the General Laws. These companies shall pay this assessment
within forty-five days of receipt of notice thereof to the department for
purposes specified by this act.
The Department of Telecommunications and Energy is further directed to, within
thirty days of receipt of the assessment pursuant to this act, deposit five
hundred thousand dollars of such assessment into an account administered by the
commissioner of the Department of Public Health for its participation pursuant
to this act. The department of public health is authorized and directed to
expend for the operation of this act such amounts, which are appropriated
through the department for purposes specified by this act.