2200-0100 Environmental Protection Administration

For the operation of the department of environmental protection, including the environmental strike force, the bureau of planning and evaluation, the bureau of resource protection, the bureau of waste prevention, the Senator William X. Wall Experiment Station and a contract with the University of Massachusetts for environmental research; provided, that section 3B of chapter 7 of the General Laws shall not apply to fees established in section 18 of chapter 21A of the General Laws; and provided further, that not later than February 5, 2027 the department shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing: (i) the status of hiring of additional staff; (ii) the staffing levels of the department for the last 10 fiscal years; (iii) the number of enforcement actions for serious violations and fine collections compared to the previous 10 fiscal years; and (iv) recommendations for the additional resources needed to fulfill the department's enforcement responsibilities; provided, that not less than $200,000 shall be expended to the Merrimack River Watershed Council, Inc. for a regional approach to reducing combined sewer overflows and non--point source pollution in the Merrimack river; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended to the metropolitan area planning council for initiatives to support the North Shore Water Resilience Task Force in its regional plans and actions to help sustain the rivers and waters of the north shore region; and provided further, that not less than $30,000 shall be expended for Cape Ann Climate Coalition Inc for preemptive strategic planning for post--disaster recovery