This “Portal” enables proponents of Article 97 Actions subject to An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth (Ch. 274 of the Acts of 2022, codified at M.G.L. c. 3, § 5A), sometimes referred to as the Public Lands Preservation Act or PLPA, to meet certain obligations under the Act. Proponents must use the Portal to make submissions to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) as required under the Act, including: (i) the alternatives analysis, (ii) requests for the Secretary of EEA to waive or modify the replacement land requirement, and (iii) requests for the Secretary to make required findings with respect to the provision of funding in lieu of replacement land. These submissions will also be utilized to assess consistency of a proposed Article 97 Action with EEA’s Article 97 Policy.
Proponents are strongly encouraged to review the Guidance, Frequently Asked Questions, Article 97 Policy, and other materials available on EEA’s Article 97 webpage.