Executive Order

Executive Order  No. 360: Establishing a clean water act advisory task force

Date: 09/30/1993
Issuer: William F. Weld
Mass Register: No. 724

Table of Contents

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth and its citizens enjoy abundant streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, groundwater, and coastlines;

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth actively protects, preserves and treats the waters of the Commonwealth,

WHEREAS, the United States Government enacted the Clean Water Act which requires the Commonwealth, its citizens, municipalities, public and private businesses and water and sewer districts to undertake certain actions to protect and preserve the Commonwealth's waters, some of which actions would require significant financial and other resources;

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress has before it various bills reauthorizing the Clean Water Act which will affect the ecological integrity, use and enjoyment of the Commonwealth's water resources;

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress could benefit in its deliberations by learning of the impact of various aspects of the bills on the people and resources of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, advice from and consultation with a broad representation of Massachusetts citizens and business representatives would benefit the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its Secretary of Environmental Affairs in considering the impacts of the federal Clean Water Act on the Commonwealth:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, William F. Weld, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me as the supreme executive magistrate, do hereby order the following:

1. There shall be established a Clean Water Act Advisory Task Force ("Task Force") consisting of fifteen (15) members described further below;

2. The Task Force shall advise the Governor and the Secretary of Environmental Affairs on matters concerning the federal Clean Water Act. It shall be the responsibility of the Task Force in making its recommendations to:

a. identify and monitor on an ongoing basis all Clean Water Act reauthorization bills in the U.S. Congress, determine the principal bills in both the federal Senate and House and collect, review and analyze these principal bills;

b. assess the current Clean Water Act-related problems, deficiencies and needs in Massachusetts;

c. for each watershed in Massachusetts, estimate the capital costs required to comply with the existing Clean Water Act, including the costs of waste water treatment facilities, water and sewer infrastructure and nonpoint source pollution controls;

d. identify watersheds where early investment in nonpoint source controls might achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act more quickly and less expensively than investment in point source controls;

e. make recommendations by December 31, 1993 to the Governor and the Secretary of Environmental Affairs on policy positions and legislative language for adoption in the reauthorization of the current Clean Water Act, with an interim report on all other work of the Task Force; and

f. make recommendations by February 28, 1994 to the Governor and to the Secretary of Environmental Affairs on actions and/or initiatives the Commonwealth should undertake to achieve clean water goals and on any remaining matters not addressed in the December 31, 1993 recommendations.

3. The Task Force shall meet at locations and times at the convenience of its members and shall periodically advise the Governor and the Secretary of Environmental Affairs on the foregoing matters until such time as the Secretary of Environmental Affairs declares its work to be concluded.

4. The Membership of this advisory Task Force shall consist of:

a. thirteen (13) individuals appointed by the Governor who shall be elected officials or shall have experience in one or more of the following areas: general environmental issues, pollution prevention, industrial water use, watershed based planning, national water pollution control, water supply treatment, publicly owned treatment works or economics; and

b. The Secretary of Environmental Affairs or her designee, who shall serve as or appoint the chairperson of the Task Force, and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection or his designee.

5. The Secretary of Environmental Affairs and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection may assign staff at their discretion to assist in the efforts of the Task Force if the Task Force so requests.

Given in the Executive Chamber in Boston this 30th day of September in the-year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three.

William F. Weld, Governor
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Michael Joseph Connolly
Secretary of the Commonwealth

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