Section 205 Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access
(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:
"Department", the department of conservation and recreation.
"Environmental justice population", as defined in section 62 of chapter 30 of the General Laws.
"Environmental justice principles", as defined in said section 62 of said chapter 30.
"Riverside neighborhood", the portions of the city of Cambridge bounded by the Charles river, River street, Massachusetts avenue and John F. Kennedy street, as shown on a map titled "Riverside, Cambridge, Massachusetts" on file with the Cambridge Community Development Department Cambridge GIS.
(b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a task force to study and make recommendations to the department to: (i) address equitable access to the Charles river in the area between the Longfellow bridge and the Eliot bridge; (ii) ensure that inclusive processes are in place to engage all relevant stakeholders when decisions involving the Charles river area are made; and (iii) improve communication with all involved stakeholders.
(c) The task force's recommendations pursuant to subsection (b) and report pursuant to subsection (g) shall include, but shall not be limited to, ways to: (i) ensure that the department considers environmental justice principles when making decisions involving the area of the Charles river between the Longfellow bridge and the Eliot bridge; (ii) ensure that all stakeholders are engaged when substantive decisions are made regarding closing or limiting access to Memorial drive; (iii) ensure that the residents of the abutting neighborhood receive proper notification when the department makes changes to access to Memorial drive; and (iv) improve programming along the Charles river that may be enjoyed by a wide variety of stakeholders.
(d) The task force shall consist of: the commissioner of the department, or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the undersecretary of environmental justice and equity within the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the director of the bureau of climate and environmental health within the department of public health, or a designee; 1 member appointed by Cambridge Health Alliance; 1 member appointed by the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority; 1 member appointed by the Cambridge branch of the NAACP; 1 member appointed by the Cambridge Black Pastors Alliance, Inc.; 1 member appointed by My Brother's Keeper Cambridge; 1 member appointed by the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, Incorporated; 1 member appointed by the Charles River Conservancy, Inc.; 1 member appointed by Cambridge Mothers Out Front; 1 member appointed by The Nature Conservancy of Massachusetts, Inc.; 1 member appointed by the Charles River Watershed Association; 1 member appointed by The People for Riverbend Park Trust; and not less than 6 individuals whose primary residence is within 1/2 mile of the Charles river and who are members of an environmental justice population or live in subsidized housing; provided, however, that at least 2 of the individuals shall reside in the Riverside neighborhood. Task force membership shall reflect diverse representation in the commonwealth, including, but not limited to, diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, languages, disabilities, gender identities, sexual orientations, geographic locations and ages.
(e) The task force may consult with the department to inform its work. The department shall provide to the task force requested information relevant to the work of the task force.
(f) The task force shall hold not less than 3 public hearings and accept public comment before filing its final report pursuant to subsection (g).
(g) Not later than June 30, 2025, the task force shall submit a report with its recommendations to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate.